The Seed is Strong
by HyperboreanRealist
Summary: Instead of being a simple orphan, or a child of random civilians, Namikaze Minato was born as Senju Minato, member of the Senju clan and a grandson of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. See what happens when Naruto grows up as an heir to 'The clan with a thousand skills' at his disposal. AN: AU, Strong/Smart Naruto. Senju Naruto.
1. The seed is strong

**Summary:** Instead of being a simple orphan, or a child of random civilians, Namikaze Minato was born as Senju Minato, a member of the Senju clan and grandson of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. See what happens when Naruto grows up as an heir to 'The clan with a thousand skills' at his disposal. AN: AU, Strong/Smart Naruto. Senju Naruto.

**Chapter 1: **The seed is strong.

* * *

_"The seed is strong." – Jon Arryn_

**Konohagakure no Sato**

**The Konoha Hospital, October 25th, Naruto: Age 6.**

Not for the first time did the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, wondered what did it mean to be the Hokage. Both his senseis and predecessors, the Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama, and his brother the Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama, told him many times that treating your fellow villagers, your fellow shinobis of the Leaf, all as part of your family. As part of your own body. That is what it means to be the Hokage. Hashirama-sama, an idealist in heart, always dreamed that one day, all shinobi, regardless of a country or the village they hailed from, would come together and cooperate. Thus erasing the hatred of The Warring States Period – **to ****coexist** – much to the contrast of his more pragmatic younger brother, who would place the village and its benefit above everything else. Discarding Shodai's idealism of such a notion, as a mere fantasy. A fantasy that if it ever came to reality would be an illusion at best.

For that, after the Shodai's death, but even before, Tobirama-sensei tried to instill a more realistic approach into his students. Hiruzen tried to justify this every time he had to send his ninjas to suicide missions when he sent them to war – knowing that some of them might never come back. Those were the moments when he wondered what truly means to be the Hokage, and if he was worthy of wearing the mantle of the Third.

Sitting on the hospital bed, looking at the sleeping form of the six-year-old Namikaze Naruto, Hiruzen wondered, how many of his fellow villagers actually embodied, or at the very least believed in the ideal on which he tried to live. It didn't come out as a surprise to him to hear about the villager's resentment towards Naruto after someone leaked his status as a jinchūriki to the public. He reasoned that as long as there was no physical abuse from the adults – Naruto would be safe. He could forbid them to talk about his status to the future generations, ensuring that Naruto grows up being accepted by his peers. But even if the adults followed his order, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Young children, having their parents as an ideal they wanted to impress, an ideal wanting to surpass, would notice something different about the blonde boy. Whispers and rumors are certainly one way to mold the opinion of the juvenile mind towards someone. He didn't have any friends, lived in an orphanage, and was generally avoided by everyone. A lone and weak prey for stronger to devour.

"Nothing in his memories suggests he held any previous resentment towards them, Hokage-sama." Yamanaka Inoichi woke him from his inner thoughts. "He went to the playground with the intention of making friends, as per your suggestion to him, the day prior. Unfortunately, the three nine-year-old boys didn't like the idea of _'that boy'_ being in their company. Before he unleashed his chakra in the form of the Wind element, they started picking on him, calling him names, even hitting him a few times..." Inoichi paused for a second. "And only after that, he did what he did. No previous elemental manipulation or even any shinobi training I found in his memories or even intention of purposely killing them the way he did."

"What about his life in the orphanage?" Hiruzen asked. He would take Naruto and treat him with some ramen on a few occasions, but would never ask the boy about his _life_. A fact he was ashamed of right now. He promised Kushina that he would take care of her son, yet he failed. Without even trying.

Inoichi looked at him with a small frown. "I can say it's not a healthy environment in which a child should grow, Hokage-sama." The Hokage's eyes widened at that. _Don't tell me..._

The Yamanaka clan head picked up his shock and quickly said. "No physical abuse happened, Hokage-sama. However, the general neglect, ignoring, or when they do notice him '_an ugly look_' as he calls it in his head – shape his rather... resentful outlook towards the villagers, from whom he is a target of that treatment, more so than in the orphanage."

Hiruzen sighed at that, wanting to hit himself for his previous ignorance. If Naruto received _the ugly looks_ on the streets, the orphanage would be no different. But. It was supposed to be his home, a safe haven – when in reality it was not one. It would influence Naruto's mind towards more misanthropic worldviews. He needed to prevent more damage. _Immediately_.

Inoichi continued describing Naruto's isolated life. Fortunately starving and beatings did not occur, aside from the recent attempt. He learned how to read and write along with the other children. But a child of his burden needed more. For he was not only a jinchūriki, but also the only son of the Yondaime Hokage, Senju Minato, and besides Tsunade, the last member of the Senju clan – coming directly from Tobirama's line, being his great-grandson. Growing up and resenting the village his ancestors, clansmen, father, sacrificed their lives for, was the last thing the aged Hokage wanted – he didn't want that to happen _at all_.

Giving him the name of Namikaze was for his protection, at least he hoped. A small game of words from his part. He couldn't very well name him the Uzumaki as it would draw too much unwanted attention from the outside. Then again, Hiruzen didn't know Naruto would be facing these problems. In silent parts of his mind, _he did know_, but his faith in the village, in the Will of Fire, was strong, never wavering – not even when Minato died. Perhaps if he had given him the name Uzumaki, the villagers would be more respectful? Two _First Ladies_ came from the Uzumaki clan after all.

Hiruzen made countless errors and countless mistakes throughout his reign. But the error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it. Sending some of his shinobi to the suicide missions, hoping they would survive, silently knowing some of them would die – an error and a mistake. Perhaps. An error he would try to remedy in the future. Mistake, never to repeat – and often _would_. But even that would not bring back the dead. All his errors. All his mistakes would forever haunt him. Just like every kill he made, because in a way – he was the one responsible for the deaths of those ninja's.

Looking at the sleeping form of Naruto, Sarutobi swore he would correct this mistake. He placed his trust in the wrong basket. It was time to place it with Naruto. He owed the boy, his parents, ancestors, and deceased clansmen – that much at least.

He called out to his nearby ANBU before doing anything. "Cat, summon the Head Council (1) to the meeting chamber I, in thirty minutes."

The ANBU in question simply nodded and went to fulfill the task she was given.

Promptly standing up, he addressed Inoichi who was still in the room, waiting for his further instructions. "Come with me, Inoichi-kun. We have a council meeting to attend."

After making sure there were at least two ANBU guards with Naruto, along with giving a warning to the doctors not to speak to anyone about it - Hiruzen made his way to the office.

In the meantime, Inoichi wondered what his Hokage planned to do with the council. It was no secret among the ninja population that the Sandaime and his former teammates had a clash of ideologies ever since his reinstatement, particularly regarding Naruto. Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura certainly passed the transition from firm supporters of Sandaime to biggest supporters of Shimura Danzō – another elder and rival to Sandaime. Inoichi himself being the member of the Head Council as representative of Konoha's Intelligence Division was witness to their constant debates but found himself supporting the Sandaime. As he, in Inoichi's mind – truly embodied the **Will of Fire**.

* * *

**At the Meeting Chamber I**

A half-hour later, in one of the rooms, specifically meant for these kinds of meetings, the Head Council was gathered. Aside from the Sandaime Hokage and Inoichi who represented Konoha's Intelligence Division, present were: Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura as the village elders and _more_. Jōnin Commander – Nara Shikaku, the ANBU Commander, and lastly, Head of Konoha's Military Police Force – Uchiha Fugaku.

Without preamble, the Sandaime decided, or at least thought to start a meeting that way. However, the impatient as ever, Koharu interrupted him anyway. "I assume this meeting is about today's incident with the jinchūriki?"

Growling at being interrupted, which Koharu seemed to notice if her sudden flinch at Sarutobi's glare was any indication, Hiruzen nodded in any case. _Of course, it is. Cat summoned you here for that reason_.

Instead, he said. "Yes. The three academy students attacked Naruto-kun at the playground, during which he **unintentionally** unleashed his chakra in the form of the Wind element." 'Unintentionally' said with absolute firmness, leaving no place for an argument.

Still, Homura, more composed than their female teammate, in a more authoritative voice proposed. "It would be best to place him under Danzō's protection then." Hiruzen was not surprised by his proposal. He was going to deny it in any case. But he allowed Homura to continue speaking, at very least to hear more of his 'reasoning'.

"Given his mental state and the future development of the same, I believe it would be in the village's best interest that the jinchūriki be trained by Danzō. His affinity for Wind, a strong one, is an even bigger reason for that." He nodded towards Danzō, who in turn, nodded as well.

"I agree with Homura." He looked towards Hiruzen then. "The boy should be given to me, at least while he's still young and malleable. You know this incident will affect him even more than the general _treatment_ by the populace. With me, he would not only become a trained shinobi but a loyal one to the Konoha as well, with a better childhood than he could hope for at the moment." Danzō placed the accent on the word 'treatment', almost as if he was proud of that fact.

Danzō looked towards the other members of the Head Council. But aside from Homura and Koharu, he only found disapproving frowns causing him to scowl lightly. He wouldn't get their support. The ANBU commander was loyal to Hiruzen first and foremost. Shikaku and Inoichi were Minato's friends, so they probably knew about Naruto's parentage, and were thus even less likely to support him on such a case. He was on bad terms with Fugaku ever since the Kyūbi's attack and subsequent transfer of the Uchiha clan to the edge of the village, causing Fugaku to always speak against Danzō's proposals and voting against them when such was the case.

Lastly, he looked towards Hiruzen, his former friend and rival, who strangely had a small smile on his face.

"I already decided what to do with Naruto-kun, Shimura. You need not bother with your proposal any further. The same goes for you two. Koharu, Homura." This time there was a little disdain in Hiruzen's eyes when he looked towards his childhood friends. Their knowledge of Naruto's mental state would need to be investigated. The three of them were the prime suspects of revealing Naruto's status to the village – no doubt hoping he would give the young boy to Danzō for training Konoha's ultimate weapon, while on the surface sugar-coating him that it was for the Senju heir's protection. Well, he would enjoy crushing their delusions even now as then.

"Naruto-kun will live in his home, by right of birth."

This caused the council members to widen their eyes at the Hokage's decision, with Nara Shikaku being the first one to speak. "While I do think this is the best case of action, Hokage-sama. Who will take care of his basic needs? After all, he is still just a child. And if word gets out that the deaths of three academy students are connected to him... His treatment will get even worse." No idle boredom was present in Shikaku as he said that.

"I have a few people in mind whom I trust to take care of Naruto-kun without problems and I will brief you all once I convince him to accept this job." Hiruzen told them. "In regards to the general populace, it would be best that what was said at this meeting – **remains here**." He looked at all of them for a few moments. His gaze lingering on the three elders who sat on his right side, for a bit longer. "Unsupervised elemental manipulation. Inoichi, Fugaku, I trust the Military police and Analysis team can cover this?" Both of them nodded. "Inform their parents that they experimented with elemental manipulation without supervision, the same goes for the rest of the village. No connection must be made to Naruto-kun. I don't want seeds of conspiracy theories to be planted any time soon, or **ever **for that matter."

Inoichi, just like Shikaku and the ANBU Commander, were his loyal supporters during these types of meetings. Fugaku supported him as well – more out of resentment towards Danzō than loyalty from the heart. But it was better than nothing. While the council couldn't overrule the Hokage in any matter, discontent could be transferred onto the rest of the village. He was lucky that three clan heads were on his side. He figured that Fugaku knew about Naruto's parentage too, as Kushina and Mikoto were best friends, even if he and the rest of the Uchiha clan resented Minato for becoming the Yondaime Hokage on top of being a Senju as well.

However, for all his dislike towards Minato, Fugaku was a man of honor, who rarely questioned orders, only when it would hurt the interest of his clan – like relocation of the Uchiha's to the other part of the village. Something which Hiruzen started regretting as he supported Danzō in that regard. However, it was too late to remedy that, for now at least. He had to fight on another front at the moment.

"Aside from us. Six of my ANBU's and two doctors at the hospital whom I trust, know this. Before coming here, I briefed them all, to not speak to anyone about this incident. I expect the same from all of you as well! From now on, this an S-class secret! You can go now."

They all nodded with the clan heads and the ANBU commander standing up to leave. The three elders lingered for a bit longer hoping to sway Hiruzen, but when Danzō stood up to leave, Koharu and Homura followed. However, before they all went on their way, Hiruzen called out the three elders. "You three. Stay!"

As the room emptied, Sarutobi addressed them. "You know what the penalty for breaking the S-class secret is?" It was a rhetorical question, although, the elders did not appreciate that the Hokage had so little faith in them, Homura and Koharu at least did not, Danzō remained impassive as ever. Koharu decided to speak on that, her eyes nearly closed and narrowed. "Of course we won't speak about -" She would have said more but was interrupted by Sarutobi.

"Like you, three couldn't be silent in regards to Naruto-kun's jinchūriki status?"

Homura and Koharu tensed for a moment, Danzō was silent and unmoving as ever. Homura decided to retort. "We didn't say anything about that! You have no right to accuse us of such a thing!"

Hiruzen simply smiled wryly. "In any case you've been warned. You can leave now, but know that I will not be merciful if you betray me here – _will not be_ merciful like I was before. This is your last warning."

The three of them nodded, even if Koharu and Homura were displeased with their council being shut down without any argument, along with being a target of suspicions. But before they left, the Sandaime spoke once more with clear disappointment dripping from his voice as he said. "Tobirama-sensei would be disappointed in you three with how you want to treat his only living descendant."

Danzō spoke this time with a sneer, his visible eye narrowed. "Nidaime-sama would not place the interest of one child, even of his own blood – over the good of the entire village."

"You forget the reason why he and Shodai-sama _wanted_ to create this village in the first place, Danzō." Sarutobi retorted, and then he smirked.

"It's one of the reasons why he chose _Me _as his successor, and not _You_."

No retort came this time, just the sound of the elders leaving. Hammer, however, has definitely hit the nail. Hiruzen in his mind thought. _I wish Torifu and Kagami were my teammates, or at the very least – alive._

* * *

**The next day at the hospital**

Slowly opening his eyes, Naruto found himself staring at the white ceiling of a room he has never been in before. Tiredly he rubbed his eyes, clearing them from morning eye crust.

"Why am I here?" He wondered for a moment before flashbacks of the previous day suddenly hit him like a pair of bricks that crashed onto the sloppy workers. Struggling to catch his breath, he felt the arm of a stranger patting him on his back, calming him down a bit.

"Easy there Naruto, it's alright..." The stranger urged him in a kind manner.

When Naruto lifted his head up, he saw a tall man with a strange mask that looked like a that of a dog's face and tall, spiky silver hair. Memories of three dead bodies around him, before he passed out, still fresh in his mind, propelled him to ask. "I...I killed them?" He whispered weakly in a questioning tone.

The man with the dog mask was quiet for a few moments before saying. "Hokage-sama will explain everything to you once he comes here, in the meantime, try to relax a bit."

Naruto nodded. Hokage-sama or the old man as Naruto called him most of the time, was the only person who would talk to him, who would tell him stories, just like a real grandfather would to his grandson. He hoped that the dead bodies of the older kids in his memories were just a nightmare and that the old man would tell him that as well.

The dog masked ANBU motioned for his colleague to tell the Hokage about Naruto's current status, after which he remained with the blonde boy for a time, looking sadly at him. He was no stranger to the first kill, especially at Naruto's age. He had his own first kill when he was as old as Naruto – albeit, not on a fellow villager. If the word 'fellow' applied to his sensei's son in this case. Since the deceased boys didn't think of him like that, when they pushed him to the limits where he ended their lives.

Five minutes passed and the Sandaime Hokage arrived at the hospital room in which Naruto was staying.

Seeing his grandfather figure, a small smile formed on Naruto's face as he said in a hoarse tone "Old man.." In return, old Hokage gave his own small smile to the young boy.

"How are you feeling, Naruto-kun?" He asked him.

"A bit tired, but it's more that my stomach hurts. I had a nightmare..."

"What was the nightmare about?" Sarutobi asked as he sat down on the bed beside him.

At the follow-up question, a small frown graced Naruto's face. Sarutobi suspected what Naruto was going to say. Certainly, first time experiencing death and first kill, it was to be expected. Especially at Naruto's age of six, when he didn't even mean to do it – it would lead to initial _denial_.

"I dreamed... I dreamed that I killed three older kids who bullied me... But I didn't mean to do it, I just... wanted them to stop doing it!" He remained silent after that, most likely still trying to deny such a notion. Part of Sarutobi wanted Naruto to remain that – a child. But if he evaded it now, he could risk hindering Naruto's growth or even worse, direct it to the wrong road. The young boy, who was always brighter than his peers, as much as the situation and ways of upbringing allowed him, carved for two answers.

He knew that the villagers disliked him and wondered why they did.

The second question was; Who were his parents?

It was almost like fate. A parent's love was the ultimate form of love a child could receive. A love that could be a sanctuary for most problems. But many children who grew up in the orphanage didn't know about it, and thus wouldn't question why they didn't receive it, at least in Naruto's age of four when he first time asked him that. And as the Senju clan, Naruto's clan was known for their love, it was no surprise that Naruto subconsciously upheld their values. _Blood is not water after all_.

Avoiding the answer now, or giving the wrong answer, Sarutobi risked Naruto resenting him, or even the village later on. _If this incident doesn't make him resent it anyway._

"Do you know something about that, old man?" Naruto asked him after a short silence.

Looking at him, Hiruzen decided to tell him the truth.

"I do know, Naruto-kun." He paused again and then sighed. "And, I'm afraid, what you dreamed, wasn't a nightmare, but the actual reality."

Naruto's eyes widened again and he began shaking, making Hiruzen grab him by the shoulder to calm him down. "Calm down my boy, nothing will happen to you. I certainly have no right to punish you, as I'm partially responsible for this entire mess." A moment of silence passed before Hiruzen continued. "We checked your memories and found nothing to suggest you did it out of any evil intention. If anything, they got what was coming for them." Sarutobi didn't like how he addressed to the three deceased boys like that, but Naruto needed to calm down, and more than anything needed moral support. He wasn't at fault anyway. "As they started beating you... You unleashed your chakra in the form of Wind element, after which it hit all three of them, causing them to lose their limbs, damage their internal organs thus ending their lives." He waited for Naruto to process that.

"What... What will happen to me now?" Naruto asked quietly. His eyes full of fear of the unknown.

"Worry not my boy, nothing bad will happen to you. As I said this is partly my fault. I could have done more to protect you and more to prevent something like this to happen to you in the first place."

After saying this, Sarutobi stood up and walked towards the hospital's window, looking at the village, contemplating how to explain this to Naruto. He needed to know the truth, but needed to be sure he would keep it a secret for now. This conversation, while not how Hiruzen imagined to have with Naruto at this young age, and not under the influence of these circumstances, needed to happen.

"Naruto-kun, what I'm about to tell you... You must not tell anyone else. At least until you grow up and become stronger to defend yourself from anything that could harm you." _Again._ Went unsaid.

Hearing what he said, Naruto looked towards the ANBU with the dog mask, who was with him when he woke up. Seeing this, Hiruzen smiled. Minato's boy certainly inherited his sharp mind. If he did this right, he would set Naruto on the path of greatness, ensuring the boy to have a fully normal life one day. Normal as much as it was allowed to one shinobi. And he definitely needed to become one.

"It's alright Naruto-kun, he already knows what I'm about to tell you."

Naruto nodded. Kakashi already knew Naruto's parentage. And who knows, he might even become a sensei to Naruto one day. Breaking from his musings Hiruzen started speaking again.

"Have you ever heard of the Kyūbi no Yoko?"

* * *

**One hour later**

Explaining about the Kyūbi to Naruto passed with no yelling or crying from the young boy. The first significant emotion he saw was when he started talking about his parents, his remaining family in both blood and bond. There were tears, tears of both sadness and happiness, especially when he mentioned to him how much his parents loved him. Naruto more or less accepted what Hiruzen told him, along with his new living arrangments.

As Inoichi told him before, the orphanage, where he was shunned and ignored was certainly no place for him to grow up. So Hiruzen, just like he told the council before, decided for Naruto to live in his clan's home with a caretaker who would regularly visit him and help him whenever he needed help. Especially with shinobi education, which Naruto gladly accepted. His academy time would start in one week anyway on the 1st of November.

Still, he was glad that the young Senju heir accepted what he told him. He couldn't go around with his real clan's name for some time, at least until he became Chūnin, perhaps maybe Jōnin. If he was anything like his father or other ancestors, he would become one in a short time after he graduates. Sarutobi also told him to not rush and graduate early. It would be better to do it like the rest of his peers. Many Senju's died early because of that, and the clan was nearly wiped out in Three Shinobi World Wars, simply due to graduating early and going to the frontlines. Ego, fame, acceptance, or legacy means nothing if you die too soon to experience the benefits of any or to actually leave them behind. Being in the safety and hidden from the outside would allow Naruto to grow and get an adequate strength to defend himself – to become strong, before embarking on the outside to complete his missions and make a name for himself.

"Rest one more day here in the hospital, Naruto-kun. I will make arrangements for you to move into your new home." Sarutobi told him.

"I understand." Naruto nodded before he remembered something else. "You said I will get a caretaker, who is it?"

"That, you will find out tomorrow. He is due to return from his week-long mission today, maybe he already did..." Hiruzen mused in the end. After which he left Naruto to rest and went on his way to do his Hokage duties.

* * *

**The next day at the Senju compound**

Following his recovery in the hospital, Naruto was escorted to his future home by one of the Hokage's ANBU's, a woman with long purple hair and a cat-like mask, whose codename was apparently Cat, just like how the other's ANBU, who was with him when he woke up after the incident was codenamed Dog.

His new home, previously populated by his deceased Senju clansmen, was the compound located closest to the Hokage's Tower and the Academy, but still isolated enough from the rest of the village, laying quietly under the same hill on which the faces of all Hokage's were carved in. Nowadays, the compound was abandoned, it's only residents were dirt, dust, and the occasional birds that made their nests on the various tall trees that were present there. Even if his clan was known as the Senju Clan of the forest, mostly thanks to his great-granduncle, Senju Hashirama, it was no less true that the rest of them loved the trees as well. As a testament to their devotion, this compound could be considered Konoha inside of Konoha, albeit abandoned.

As they reached, what looked like the main residence of the clan, they had to stop for a while. As apparently, the main residence was protected in seals that would allow only those of Senju blood to enter or those who were permitted by the creator of the seal. The person who created these seals in the first place was Senju Minato, the Yondaime Hokage, and his father. One of the reasons was so that his wife could walk freely inside and out, and also to have bigger protection from potential Iwagakure ninjas who sought revenge for their loss in the last war. The old man also told him that when she was young, his mother, Uzumaki Kushina, was the target of kidnapping by Kumogakure, who wanted to use her for her special chakra. All of that made Naruto even more convicted that he must keep his secrets for now and to become strong in order for something like that to never happen to him, or his family one day. Strong enough to never get into a situation like the two days ago. The deaths of those three older kids still haunted Naruto's thoughts. Would they ever stop haunting him? He tried thinking about other stuff to clear his mind.

It was still hard to imagine that he was a member of the legendary Senju clan. Even if they largely died out. With two members remaining, Naruto knew that another heavy burden was placed upon him. Not only would he need to revive his clan one day. He needed to be sure that he would make his ancestors proud as well. While Senju's, aside from his great-granduncle, didn't possess any particular or unique bloodline. Members of the clan were known for exceding in various ninja arts. As well as having powerful and large chakra reserves, according to the Sandaime.

He wondered who his caretaker would be. Maybe his godfather, Jiraiya of the Sannin, or perhaps his aunt Tsunade? No, the old man said it will be a man. As much as he was wondering who it would be, curiosity propelled him to wonder what he would find in his future seals-protected home? Maybe a library with his clan's techniques? Jiji told him that when the village was created, as a clan known for a thousand techniques, the Senju's donated much of the lower-ranked to mid-ranked jutsus to the Konoha's Shinobi Library, so that it could help non-clan aligned potential ninjas to develop. However, they kept much of the higher-ranked ones for themself. It would have been dangerous to give them away, as you would never know what damage could have happened if they found themself in the wrong hands.

Not long after, Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived with another elderly man with grey hair tied in a small ponytail and a kind smile on his face.

"Naruto-kun, allow me to introduce you to Maruboshi Kosuke, your new caretaker." Hiruzen announced.

"Pleasure to meet you, Naruto-kun." Kosuke said with his usual smile.

"Likewise, Kosuke-san." Responded Naruto with a smile of his own.

"As I already told you before, Naruto-kun. The main residence of the Senju compound operates with seals that were placed here by your father. However, after his unfortunate death, I had Jiraiya place alarm seals around the house to warn me if anyone ever tried to break inside."

Naruto nodded and proceed to ask a question. "Has anyone ever tried to break in?"

Sarutobi confirmed his question. "Indeed. But there was only one such case. Newly promoted Chūnin, Mizuki attempted to break through, around four months ago." He walked over to the blue barrier that protected the entrance and simply knocked two times. "See? Examples of seals your father made. Even if you hit harder you will find it hard to break through. Mizuki of course tried to do it, but the seals Jiraiya placed alarmed me, and we apprehended him."

"So how will Kosuke-san here actually be my caretaker if he can't even enter?

Hiruzen simply smiled at the young boy. "Indeed. However, not the entire house is covered in seals. There is a segregated part, specifically meant for guests. Kosuke will live there."

Naruto nodded in understanding, while Kosuke was silent. He certainly didn't expect this turn of events. He didn't even consider himself worthy of becoming a caretaker or tutor to Naruto. But he owed that much to both the Yondaime and Nidaime. Hiruzen told him that out of all people in the village, Naruto could grow up to become a good man, only under him and his, nearly fifty-year-old experience. Kosuke knew that Hiruzen was not sugarcoating, but actually meant every word he said to him.

**==Flashback==**

_"Sandaime-sama. While I don't doubt your wisdom, I must politely refuse. I'm not worthy of teaching young Naruto, and I'm certain there are more worthy shinobi in the village who are." Kosuke answered to Sarutobi after hearing of his offer._

_Sarutobi only sighed and looked at him. "Kosuke, I honestly doubt there are. I refused to allow any of the clans to adopt Naruto-kun on the principle that it would create unbalance and division among them. Had he not have problems with Orochimaru I would have put him in the care of Jiraiya, but as we do, I have no choice but to look for an alternative." He paused for a moment, before continuing. "Jiraiya tried to locate Tsunade on few occasions, but aside from running into her debt collectors, or casinos, she visited – nothing. Kakashi is in the ANBU and is needed on the field constantly. Plus, with his emotional trauma from the losses of the last war and Kyūbi's attack, I fear he is not suitable enough to raise Naruto-kun with his psychological condition. I'll give him a few years, then I might place Naruto on his team if he gets better."_

_"Kosuke, I know you still blame yourself for your comrade's death, but just like Tobirama-sensei told you once before, I will tell you now. Use that mistake, that experience, your knowledge, and pass it to Naruto. I made more mistakes than you, my friend. But brooding and punishing yourself will not bring back the dead. Ensuring we don't repeat them will prevent new graves, tears, and hatred from emerging. For we are shinobi and we endure."_

_"And I'm sure Tobirama-sensei would not want you to beat yourself anymore. He would be glad that someone like you is tutoring his great-grandson."_

_Sarutobi remained silent after that. Kosuke thought about many things. Would Tobirama-sama approve of this? Would he find him worthy of training and educating his great-grandson? Those questions loomed in Kosuke's mind. But knowing the man and his personality and fighting alongside him on many occasions answered Kosuke's question._

_"I accept the assignment to become Naruto-kun's caretaker, Hokage-sama." said Kosuke professionally._

**==End of Flashback==**

After that, he and Hiruzen talked about how Kosuke would raise Naruto, his education and shinobi training, and many other plans. Kosuke was sad to hear about the new burden that was placed on the boy. He hoped he would help him to overcome the guilt of unintentionally killing three academy students, even if in Kosuke's opinion, Naruto was not guilty at all. But if he did feel guilt for it, then it only convinced Kosuke that the young boy would grow up to become a splendid man one day.

"Well, I will leave you two to get to know each other now." Sarutobi said. "Listen to what Kosuke tell's you Naruto-kun, you will learn much from him." He addressed to the young Senju.

"I will, old man. I won't fail you! I promise!" Naruto announced with a smile and conviction in his blue eyes.

It was rather refreshing to see this new aura that emanated from Naruto, Sarutobi thought. He had high hopes for this arrangement. Now, he only needed to inform the council of it, and to make sure certain members do not meddle in. Even if he warned them on their last meeting, he doubted they would fall in line immediately. Those three have become too confident with their positions in the last few years. But even if he didn't trust them as he used to, Hiruzen still recognized their value. Danzō's ROOT was a necessary evil. And despite all of their faults, Koharu and Homura were good administrators who kept the village's hierarchical system running.

One thing he did know is that the next few years would be interesting, particularly watching Naruto's progress. He didn't remember when was the last time he was this interested in the development of one of his ninja's. He had faith in Minato's boy. After all, the blood of the Kage's coursed through his veins. Naruto could one day surpass his father and great-grandfather, and earning the respect of not only his home village but the entire world.

**==With Naruto and Kosuke at the same time==**

"So, Naruto-kun, shall we introduce ourselves?" Kosuke asked to which Naruto nodded.

* * *

**November 1****st****, The Academy:**

The excitement was a feeling Naruto didn't have often. In fact, he could list the times he'd been this excited on one hand. His birthday, when the old man visited him and took him for some ramen, the moment when he moved into his new home were those moments and having a caretaker, a substitute for parents in his case. And now he had another one.

"Remember what I told you Naruto-kun. Listen to your teachers at the academy, do what they tell you. And when you finish your classes, we shall begin your training." The voice of his caretaker brought him from his thoughts.

Naruto turned to him, with a determined look and answered. "I will, uncle Kosuke." But he suddenly faltered which made Kosuke frown. "But will the teachers at the academy be okay with me there? No doubt, they know about the Kyūbi."

"You need not worry about it, Naruto-kun. Hiruzen told me he made sure that staff knows not to sabotage you or anything and he has picked the teacher for your class by himself." Kosuke answered him. He could see the look of suspicion from Naruto. They were standing in front of the Academy's entrance, along with more than a hundred parents and their children who aspired to become shinobi's of Konoha. Some of them looked at Naruto with a look of disdain but did nothing more. The Sandaime could control them that much it seems.

"Furthermore, I think you might find some good friends in your class." He told him with one of his usual smiles.

This made Naruto raise his right eyebrow. "How can you be sure? I didn't have much luck in finding them until now."

"You will see." Was the only answer he got. But Kosuke knew that Hiruzen picked this class specifically, for it included seven of Konoha's strongest clan heir. And some of those clan heads apparently knew about Naruto's heritage, so they might not be against their children being friends with him. They were at least more informed than your average civilian, but only time would tell.

"I hope so." Naruto muttered.

Not long after, one of the Academy's staff members arrived at the front door and told the students that they must be at their assigned classroom in half an hour.

As some of them scrambled to enter, Naruto decided to stay aside for now. He had time after all.

"Good luck, Naruto-kun." Kosuke told him and bid farewell.

"Thanks."

As the dust settled, Naruto moved into the Academy. While walking through the hallways he saw many of the older kids either walking or standing around, chatting, and whatnot. No one paid him any mind, but that was good for Naruto. He looked around the signs that pointed the room I-4, hoping not to get lost. Luckily he didn't, and before long he arrived at the place that he would spend his early mornings till noon, for the next year.

As he entered the room, he noticed that desks were covered with accessories, bags, and various items that belong to his classmates, even if not all of them sat at their seats at the moment.

Looking around, he saw a free seat at the back row near the window, only two boys sitting there. _Perfect_. It would be better to remain behind, away from the center, and attention. No doubt, once the parents of his classmates hear that he is in the class as well, they'd try to influence their children negatively on him. Finally knowing the reason why the adults disliked him, brought a semblance of peace to Naruto's mind. He didn't like it, but he could understand them. It wouldn't mean that he would allow them to walk over him though.

"Is this seat taken?" He asked the two boys, once he approached them.

"No, feel free to sit." The boy with black hair, tied in spikey ponytail answered in a bored manner as he looked up. Naruto proceeded to sit, even if the boy's mannerisms were a bit weird, he didn't detect any ill intent behind his words.

_Let's give it a try._

"I'm Namikaze Naruto, pleased to meet you." He hoped to make friends with the two of them. _Or at least try._

"Nara Shikamaru." The black-haired boy answered him before motioning his hand to the chubby boy near him, who was currently engaged in eating chips."And this is Akimichi Chōji." Now revealed Chōji, nodded, offering some of his snacks to Naruto.

"If you don't mind, thanks Chōji." It was good that he read the book about the first introductions, as the two boys didn't seem to mind his company. Maybe Shikamaru and Chōji were different. Then it clicked. They were from the Nara and Akimichi clan, one of the stronger clans from Konoha.

"Are you two from the Nara and Akimichi clans by any chance?" He asked, just to be sure.

"Yeah, as our surnames suggest." Shikamaru answered, eying him curiously. "You're from a civilian family, right?"

"Something like that, I guess." Naruto said. "I'm an orphan, but my caretaker is a shinobi. By any chance, did you two receive training from your clans already?"

"Not yet. My old man said not to rush things, it would be troublesome." The Nara said. "What do you mean by caretaker, anyway? He didn't adopt you?"

Naruto looked at Shikamaru, he didn't think anyone would catch on that. Certainly not a six-year-old.

"Well, something like that." He vaguely said. "Old family bonds. As I'm an orphan, he took care of me." Naruto hoped his answer would satisfy Shikamaru. He needed to keep his heritage a secret, at least for now. Luckily, Shikamaru accepted the answer.

"Do you know anyone else from the class, by the way?" He asked them, changing the subject.

"Blonde girl with short hair is Yamanaka Ino." This time it was Chōji who answered his question pointing at the said girl who was engaged in girlish conversation with another pink-haired girl.

"There are some other clan children here. The boy they are giggling at is Uchiha Sasuke." Shikamaru said. Instinctively, Naruto narrowed his eyes for a moment. While Kosuke didn't start his practical training yet, he did tell him a lot about the village's history. Together with the old man Hokage, when he visited a few times last week. Naruto knew about the Senju-Uchiha rivalry from their stories but hoped everything would be good between him and Sasuke.

"Loud one out there is probably Inuzuka. The one with glasses looks like an Aburame. There's a Hyūga heiress as well, from what my dad told me, though, I don't know which one it is." Shikamaru pointed individually at two boys that were recognizable. "There are probably more clan children, both larger and minor clans in other classes."

They continued to engage in conversation on various topics for some time. It was a good feeling, having someone your age to talk to. Both Shikamaru and Chōji seemed friendly. And Naruto hoped they would stay that way. From their conversation, Naruto found out that the two of them knew each other from before, as their clans kept close ties together with the Yamanaka's. Shikamaru initially seemed bored about everything, which worried Naruto that he was boring company to him until Chōji whispered to him that it was a characteristic of Nara clan members to act that way.

Their conversation came to an end when a female shinobi, presumably their future homeroom teacher entered the classroom, causing those that didn't sit before to scramble to their seats.

As they settled down she spoke first. "Good morning class." To which all of them responded in kind.

"My name is Taketori Sadoru(2) and I will be your homeroom teacher for the next six years." She said with a kind smile on her face. Her eyes were of a dark blue color, while her hair was black and was tied in a top knot bun. She wore the standard chūnin vest, but not pants. Instead, she used the simple hotpants that left much of her curvy legs revealed. "I'm sixteen years old, and have been a chūnin for two years now."

"A woman sensei? Troublesome." Naruto heard Shikamaru mutter beside him.

"Before I begin the introduction to your curriculum for the next six years, we will have a roll call, like every other day from now on. Right then, let's start!" Sadoru-sensei said, after which she started calling out names, checking them that they were present. When she got to his name, no incident happened, to which Naruto was grateful for, as it seemed that he will be treated no differently than the other students.

"Okay, now that we're finished with roll call, I'll explain to you what you're gonna learn for the next six years, before officially enlisting to Konoha's regular forces, Genin in your case." She paused to make sure they were listening.

She continued explaining for the next half hour their future education, which will be divided into practical and theoretical parts. At the end of every fourth month, they will have an evaluation from the subjects that were thought during that year, in both practice and paper – theoretical part. From practical, during their first year, they will learn to mold chakra, basic chakra control that they will have to expand to other versions when they become Genin, hand seals, and initial taijutsu and bukijutsu. From the theoretical part, which will be more present in the first four years, less in the last two, but present for the entire time, they will have mathematics, history, geography, and shinobi culture, which Naruto assumed will cover the shinobi hierarchy, organizational system, ideology of Will of Fire, etc.

Human biology will come in with further branching of bukijutsu. Genjutsu will be covered from the third year on, later on with basic fūinjutsu and introduction to medical ninjutsu in the last year for those who are interested in such art.

"Remember one thing that our esteemed Nidaime-sama used to say that is important for shinobi to take care of. Those are Mind – Technique – Body." She told them in the end, before dismissing them during their first day.

All in all, Naruto couldn't wait to start.

* * *

**After the Academy**

"Hey, Naruto!" He heard Shikamaru calling him. "Me and Chōji were going to the playground now, want to come with us?" He asked him.

At the mention of a playground, Naruto froze and widen his eyes. The playground was the last place he wanted to be, memories of dismembered limbs and hands and three dead bodies around him suddenly hit him, but he managed to compose himself. "Um, maybe next time, I have something to do now, see ya tomorrow, Shikamaru, Chōji!" He told them, before going home, making sure nobody saw him as he entered the compound.

Seeing his blonde classmate running off so suddenly and his demeanor from before made Shikamaru frown slightly – and made him wonder if there was something more regarding this? From the little time he spent with Naruto before the class started, he could see that he was rather smart for his age – like him in a way. Nara's were known for their intellect, which was a trademark they were famous for. But the orphan such as Naruto was knowledgeable about many things. Not to mention his eyes, who were a bit uneasy from time to time. Was he missing something here? Maybe Naruto was simply shy before getting more familiar with someone. He would investigate it some other time, for now, he would go with Chōji and play, probably before his mother started nagging him for not coming home early.

As he reached his home, he found Kosuke clearing the large pond from leaves that had fallen from the nearby tree. The backyard of the main residence where Naruto and Kosuke lived has been covered in grass and bushes that have spread around due to neglect. For the first day after meeting Kosuke, the two of them decided to clear the main residence's backyard which took the entire day.

During that time, and the following week, Kosuke told many stories to Naruto, missions he had with Naruto's father and great-grandfather, and less known grandfather, Senju Bishamon, who died during the mid-days of the Second Shinobi World War, leaving his son, Minato, practically an orphan, as many other Senju's like Tsunade's younger brother – Nawaki, died during that war, further crippling the clan, whose numbers already dwindled in the First War. According to Kosuke, Bishamon was among the most powerful shinobis of Konoha at that time. While he never mastered the Flying Thunder God technique like his father, or like his son later would, Bishamon was a master of bukijutsu in every branch, especially when he combined it with his Wind element. Dying during the battle against the Sandaime Raikage, sacrificing himself to hold off the enemy so his comrades could escape. Similarly how his father held off Kinkaku Unit, protecting his students, albeit, unlike the Nidaime who died from wounds in the village later on, but not before killing the Gold and Silver brothers(3), Bishamon did not survive.

While spending time with him, Naruto learned many things about Kosuke as well. His caretaker apparently, even after forty years, still blamed himself for the deaths of his comrades during a mission a long time ago, which caused him to always try and sacrifice his life during the missions – something which many people, including the Sandaime Hokage, reprimanded him about.

Noticing him approaching, Kosuke stood up from the pond before greeting him and asking him about his first day at the Academy.

"It was great, uncle Kosuke. Turns out, there are a few clan heirs in my class. I got to know two of them, Shikamaru Nara and Chōji Akimichi. We sat together and talked about countless things..."

As Naruto continued retelling about his first day at the Academy, Kosuke could only smile. It was good to know that the Nara and Akimichi were not prejudiced against the young Senju. Their parents knew about Naruto's heritage, so they might have instructed their children to be nice to him, or at the very least – like they would to everyone else. Although from Naruto's words, no such thing could be detected. It seemed they were genuinely nice. _You picked a good class, Hiruzen._

Kosuke knew that he would need to help Naruto overcome his guilt sooner or later, after hearing why he came home earlier. He, himself needed to fight his own demons. But he was sixty-two, while Naruto was only six. The boy must not make the same mistakes as him. Teaching Naruto to become a shinobi and more importantly, a good man, was part of the legacy he wanted to leave behind after he died.

"Well Naruto-kun, seeing as the Academy is over today, would you like to start your training?" He asked him.

"I'm ready, uncle!" It was a nice feeling of having someone refer to him like that. He never married and his family was long dead. He considers his village as his family. A notion, the Nidaime told him to do so. But this was different, it was more satisfying.

"Let us begin then."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

(1)While in both canon and filler it was established that Danzō, Koharu, and Homura were part of the Konoha's Council, I think it is very meager for a village's system like that of Konoha to be run only by four people. Other villages have a far bigger one. Other clans would no doubt, when joining the Konoha complain about the lack of representation and there is no clear explanation for the order of succession for those council seats. It was shown when, after Pain's attack, during the meeting with Daimyō, that Shikaku Nara as Jōnin Commander and the unnamed ANBU commander are part of the council that chooses the new Hokage. Furthermore, in Naruto Shippuden Episode #193, Inoichi Yamanaka is also part of the council with Fire Daimyō when the new defense system of Konoha was being voted for. As Konoha is primary a military settlement, my goal is to have a **Head Council** that deals with the security of the village and everything connected to that, primary. The Hokage is still a Military Dictator, but he needs to occasionally listen to his advisors in order to keep the wider peace and order in the village. Various subdivisions of a few organizations that are represented on the council will also be explored later on. So no. There won't be civilian council here, and if I include some elements of it – it will be only minor. Koharu and Homura are dealing with that. The clan council does exist, but it is it's own thing and has different responsibilities.

(2)Sadoru is an anime-only character from the Naruto Shippuden Episode #494, and Taketoru is a clan that was once mentioned in the anime. I included her here because I like her character design and even the little screentime she had. Hopefully, it won't be much of a problem. I'm not keen on creating too many OC's. When the time comes, I might need to eventually, but for now, I will keep it to the characters that appear in the manga/anime.

(3)Yeah, I plan on expanding Tobirama and his battle with the Gold and Silver brothers later on, as well as the lore behind them. Databook said they were related to the Sage of Six Paths, according to the Fourth Databook at least. Which in turn means they are related to Senju, Uzumaki, and Uchiha clans. And no matter how powerful they and their unit were, they weren't better than Tobirama. At the same time, I will expand the role of the Kaguya clan and Jūgo's clan who will also have connections to them here, just like Hyūga's do in canon.

That would also be the first chapter of my first fanfiction ever! Bear in mind a few things regarding my writing and the story:

1.)First is. As I said, this is my first fanfiction ever, so writing is probably too cliché, cringe, and crappy for some professional fanfiction readers. Because of that, criticism is welcomed. But please, keep it civil.

2.)English, as some of you may notice, is not my native language, so grammatical errors, or more notably, errors with grammatical tenses will be present. They will occur until I reread the chapters again and notice them.

3.)Rewriting might happen, but it will not change any plot points. It will be a simple campaign to improve dialogue, or fix any grammatical errors I find, as my skills in English improve as well as vocabulary.

4.)Some of you might hate or at least dislike certain elements that I have changed in this story. Particularly, Minato being Senju, Naruto being called Namikaze, not Uzumaki, etc. The reason for Naruto being Namikaze and not Uzumaki in this situation is that I want to avoid certain plot holes from canon. The best example of one plot hole is "Uzumaki clan". I noticed that many authors use the civilian council as a tool to explain why the Uzumaki clan was never mentioned during Naruto's time in the Academy, or even later, up until mid-Shippuden if I remember correctly. But it's a weak reason, at least in my opinion. Uzushiogakure was destroyed for being too dangerous. They were also relatives of the Senju clan and an ally of Konoha. I refuse to believe that Hiruzen would allow for future generations to know nothing about Uzumaki's. Two Hokage's were married to Uzumaki women. No way nobody will know about them. But worry not because Uzumaki's will be explored as well. Two **First Ladies** of Konoha were from the Uzumaki clan after all.

5.)The reason Minato is Senju is, well, apart from my own fondness towards that particular clan, is of a more realistic approach to the Naruto world itself. Minato knew Hiraishin, a literal weapon that can destroy armies and countries if used by a master correctly, which Minato was. Considering Tobirama was the first one to use that jutsu, it can be safely assumed that Minato somehow got his hands on some of Tobirama's notes. Fūinjutsu might be the reason as Minato was master at it. However, in my opinion, it would be too dangerous to have a clanless shinobi utilize and develop such a technique. After all, aside from the Uchiha's who are their own story, missing-nins from Konoha are of non-clan background. Orochimaru, Hiruko, Kabuto, Minoichi, Missing-nins from Naruto games. All are from the non-clan background. Yes, I do know most of them are not canon.

6.)I have no idea what to do about pairings for Naruto. I can tell you that it **WILL NOT** be Hinata, Sakura, or any type of Yaoi and Harem for that matter. If I decide to do any romance, it'll be near the end and mostly background. Some occasional flirt might happen.

7.)Smart/Strong Naruto wank? Yes, it's why I read fanfiction in the first place. I firmly believe that when the entire series is rewatched or reread, that Naruto had the opportunity to develop into serious shinobi. Naruto Shippuden Episode #480 is a nice reference to this. But having a different upbringing will not change Naruto's personality overnight, or this incident at the playground. However, there will be different happenings that will. I'm in firm conviction to go eventual Mature/Smart/Strong Naruto route.

I wanted to write this story for some time, after – probably two years of reading fanfiction and being a fan of Naruto along the way. Senju clan, particularly Tobirama were one of my favorite parts of the story. So expect some sort of biased point of view from that part. The title itself was inspired from Jon Arryn's last words from George R.R. Martin's book franchise _A Song of Ice and Fire_. This story won't have any elements of crossover or anything like that. Those words struck because of the way they describe Baratheons and their characteristic look. Here, the only similarity will be the way the Senju chakra is strong and dominant, even when someone marries into their clan, at least from it's most powerful shinobi like Hashirama, Tobirama, Minato, etc. There will be references to mixing with certain other clans from some members, but the nature of those clans will have different effects on those who mix. It will be, like many other things, explored later on as the story goes. As for the word count... I will try to keep it around 8.000 words or more per chapter, excluding the Author's note. Which too, will be a lot shorter in the following chapters so no need to pour me with a rain of shit for this.

This chapter was edited by **Yogami Asura**

Lastly, I will mention a few other stories from this site that inspired me to write my own. My writing style is certainly far behind their level, but I hope you will enjoy my story, nonetheless. Anyhow, here are the stories that inspired me:

**Nidaime no Sairin** from **Narutoenthusiast**

**Harsh Truth** from **Shadenight123**

**Through Hell and High Water **by **MM995**

That would be it for the first chapter. I would like to thank all of you who read it. I hope you stick around for more. R&R, but please be polite while doing so.

~ HyperboreanRealist


	2. Family

**Chapter 2: **Family

* * *

**Three months later**

"That would be it for today, Naruto-kun." Kosuke told him after they finished with their daily training regime.

Every day after the Academy, where Naruto would spend around eight hours from the early morning - he would train with Kosuke. Initially, it was, just like in the Academy, only chakra control. Learning necessary hand seals, etc. After the first two weeks, he began learning the basic taijutsu katas that were also the first steps towards the more advanced taijutsu styles. Those were taught throughout Konoha to the standard shinobi forces which were largely composed of the ninjas with the civilian backround and didn't have the clans to rely on. But instead of those standard ones, Naruto for his taijutsu training with Kosuke took one scroll which had the Nidaime's taijutsu style written in it. Fortunately, Kosuke, even if he did not know that style, was able to help Naruto to get into its initial forms. But the style itself was a lot more complex than it seemed. It was based on agility and speed, which also made his great-grandfather famous. Speed and agility that Naruto didn't have at the moment.

"I must also regrettably inform you that I have a mission tomorrow."

"Oh, how long will it last, uncle?"

"One week at most, unless something drastic happens." Ever since the first day he met him, Naruto knew that Kosuke would have to, sooner or later return to do missions – albeit not as often as he used to.

"I have prepared everything that you will need for the time I'm not here." He continued listing things as they sat on the nearby garden bench to rest. "If you need anything from the village, don't hesitate and use the transformation." He could do that. It was the first technique Kosuke taught him after he properly learned how to mold chakra. Aside from that, he also learned the Body Replacement Technique and the Body Flicker Technique just last week, but not after being drilled into the long chakra control exercises of the tree walking and the water walking, much to the Kosuke's dismay after finding out that the tree and water walking were taught only once one became a Genin. Being a Jinchūriki and having the large chakra reserves, both from the beast that was sealed inside him and blood of his clans – it was prudent for Naruto to know them.

After finishing his duties with Kosuke, Naruto went inside his house, getting himself something to eat, before going to his father's office within the building. Which was also the office of his grandfather and great grandfather in their time. It was a rather large room with no windows as it was in the middle of the residence, flanked by other rooms from both sides, plus connected to the Hokage's Hill directly. The first time he entered the room, he was in awe of the countless books he found. From history books, to geographical, religious, adventurous to even the three romance books that the old man always read. For the first two days after moving into his new home, Naruto had spent his time reading whatever had caught his hand first. There were countless instruction manuals on how to be a shinobi, introductions to different ninja arts, including the elemental manipulation and the training regimes that the Senju clan practiced during the Warring States era. But aside from the introductions, there was not much more on those topics. There were various other scrolls with different techniques, but they were up to the B-rank at most. Still, you do with what you had at hand.

He showed some of the training regimes from the Warring States to Kosuke, to which the man smiled and told him that the Nidaime would also drill all of his students with the same heat. Nonetheless, Naruto easily found out why his clan was feared during their time. To even use the resistance seals contrary to the more popular weights. It not only increased their already large chakra reserves but also speed during the battle once the seals were turned off. It made Naruto ponder on how his clan got decimated so easily with the power they possessed. The Sandaime had told him that many of his clansmen, being the prodigies in their own rights – graduated early from the Academy. And considering the village was in a state of war with other nations, they had no choice but to deploy them when needed.

Naruto sighed. _As the old man said, you learn from your mistakes._

Since Sunday was the day off with no classes. The only day during the week they had that generosity, Naruto could stay awake a little more. Currently, he was reading the official history of the Third Great Ninja War, battles that were fought, particularly the battles in which his father has fought and his rivalry with the son of the Third Raikage – A, who was also a designated heir to the seat of the Raikage, being the Yondaime Raikage now in his own right.

Completely lost in time as he read, Naruto ignored the hooting of the owls from the outside. Eventually, a small yawn caught him as he accidentally pushed the wooden cup to the back of the table which was mere inches from the wall, just enough for the said cup to fall. Luckily it was empty, so the floor wouldn't get wet and no damage to the parquet would be made. Plus he wouldn't need to try and move the supposedly _unmovable_ table, that looked like it grew from the ground itself.

"Ugh, getting clumsy like this." Naruto grumbled as he stood up over the table to try to pick up the cup. But as he leaned forward and moved his hand over the small space between the table and the wall, the built-in bookshelf to his left side started moving slowly further left, catching him off guard.

"Wha- What is this?" Waiting for the bookshelf to stop moving – which it did, Naruto completely forgot about the cup and turned his attention towards the bookshelf. Now fully moved, a place where the bookshelf was formerly at place, revealed an entrance to the moderate-sized tunnel that went deep into the hill with staircases going down and sconces at the wall supporting the potential torches. Looking down the place between the table and the wall, Naruto saw a glimpse of a wooden cup that was on top of a rather unnoticeable switch from a normal point of view. _Cup must have triggered the opening. And the bookshelf acted as the door._

Since he had a free day tomorrow, Naruto decided to investigate further into the night. Taking nearby lampshade with him – he started walking into the tunnel. At the very entrance, he saw another switch with a similar shape like the one behind the desk, only on the wall. Figuring it will simply close the door, he turned it on, proceeding to walk further into the cave carefully stepping on each stair, right hand holding the lampshade, left one leaning on the wall as walked down. The wall on which he leaned was layered in chakra, similarly to the walls of his home, a layer of chakra that prevented outsiders from coming in. _I will need to have some torches placed here one day..._

After ten meters or so of quiet walk, he finally got to another room, larger than his own. There were various bookcases on the edges, and one working table to his right. _This must be the clan's secret library. One that only the current clan head must know of. What would happen to this place if the Yondaime died childless?_ He didn't want to dwell on that thought, proceeding to look around.

Bamboo and wooden scrolls – instead of the usual paper ones – were, for the most part, the most populous inhabitants of the various bookcases that graced this large room. _Probably to survive the test of time._ That didn't mean there weren't other books as well. Books that his normal library didn't have, as he saw some titles for the first time.

In one corner of the room, there was a large shelf with various weaponry and armory, from the Flying Thunder God kunai's that were hanging on the wall, to the beautiful coal-of-color Kusarigama and the one katana that had the Senju clan's symbol engraved on its sides. There was one object that greatly resembled _Vajra_ from his clan's symbol. Gently taking it as it was a religious relic – well to Naruto, anything from his family's possession was, he inspected it with curiosity. Due to his excitement, with both blood and chakra running wild through him, like a river torrent on a stormy day with winds making it faster than usual – a strange object suddenly lighted itself, full in yellow color and magnificent glory, almost making him drop the lampshade. _Like lighting._ Naruto thought. _Wait! Lighting? This must be **The Sword of the Thunder God**, great grandfather's sword that he used in battle with his own Hiraishin kunai's._ He knew about it from stories Kosuke told him.

"Amazing." He uttered out loud for the first time since coming to this room.

Turning it off and gently laying it down, he looked at other objects that were there. There was one of his father's coats he wore after becoming Hokage. But what mesmerized Naruto the most was the blue armor that stood attached to a wooden doll with dirty white fur and spider webs around it. "This must be Nidaime's battle armor. One he wore during the Warring States era and in which he fought his last battle." He said to himself as he made the line from dust as he traced his small fingers across its stomach.

"I can't believe a place such as this actually exists..."

He looked towards one part of the room with its entire side filled with a line of bookcases that had '**Ninjutsu**' written at the center above it. Approaching it, he looked around the various wooden scrolls that each had its own small sign on what it contained. Shadow Clone Technique? Shrugging off his shoulders and taking it – maybe he would be able to learn it. If it was different from the one Academy is supposed to teach from the second year onwards, maybe he'll be able to master it. Regular clone was borderline impossible for him, no matter how much chakra control exercises he performed. He could mold chakra the correct way. But he would always produce one sickly clone laying on the ground.

_It won't hurt to try._ He hoped. Apparently, this technique was created by Nidaime himself, who also created it's various other variations as Naruto read the scroll and its contains.

_\- **Having to** fight the Uchiha's since I could **walk**, I learned that there is nothing more infuriating than having your hard work stolen. Spending weeks, even months, creating, perfecting, mastering, new techniques, only to have a member of that cursed clan flash his red eyes and simply copy it – it would make even a member of Nara clan rilled up. Hiden clan techniques are generally – harder to copy as other clans do not fight the Uchiha's as much as we, Senjus do. Not to mention, reducing hand seals necessary to perform it. So why not create something that could kill two fleas with one hit? But what? The answer is – **Shadow Clones**. While Uchiha's tend to be predictable fighters, even with their Sharingan, I'd rather not have someone sneak out from the fight and later distribute my hard work to them. To even use it against my own clansmen. Kage Bunshin, while splits the user's chakra, can also kill the user if he doesn't have enough of it. Which Uchiha's in general – do not have. At least by the Senju and Uzumaki standards. There is nothing more satisfying than having your opponent cripple himself during the fight, making your job a lot easier. Because that's what shinobis do – they win. Not by honorable means, for we are not samurai's. We simply **win**._

The following part of the bamboo scroll explained the simple hand seal for making the Shadow Clone and the way charka should be molded to create it. Naruto found it easy to learn and given his already large chakra reserves, he doubted the jutsu would have negative effects on him. Nidaime himself had a large chakra, but even he didn't have one like jinchūriki's did. The rest of the scroll explained the other purposes of the jutsu, that had more flexible use than Naruto originally thought. It could transfer anything the clone learned to the original. It was also good for spying and intelligence gathering missions.

Ideas running through his mind, Naruto imagined what could he do once he mastered it. Sending clone to the academy to the theoretical work? Yes, he would do that. Help him with elemental manipulation once he started it? Yes, he **will** do that. _Help him in a fight and overcome the opponent with sheer number?_ It was an unorthodox approach to fighting, sure, as it would pointlessly waste chakra. But still. This jutsu was a goldmine of possibilities.

At the thought of elemental manipulation, Naruto looked around the other bookcases of the room and found few that had countless scrolls for each element. While his regular library had those as well, this one had the advanced and higher-ranked techniques and theory explanation behind which he could develop some techniques further. Looking around he saw one book with theory behind **bloodline mutations**. But for now, he would not touch that. He would go step by step.

He returned to his room not soon after and went to sleep. He had a free day once he wakes up and he was going to use it the best way he could.

* * *

**Tomorrow, outside of Naruto's house**

Standing in the middle of his backyard where he usually practiced taijutsu and basic kenjutsu with Kosuke, Naruto prepared himself to perform the shadow clone technique he had read about last night. Kosuke already went on a mission. Naruto had to imagine his face once he saw him do it.

Inhaling than exhaling few times Naruto made a Shadow Clone hand seal, molded chakra the way it was needed, and poured as much as he could, in the end saying. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

As soon as he did that, everything around him was covered in smoke.

* * *

**The Hokage's office**

Sitting in his office, overlooking some paperwork that he was buried in, Sarutobi suddenly felt a large surge of Naruto's chakra coming from the east, his home. Not thinking about paperwork for a second anymore, Sarutobi leaped forward, his ANBU guards following him in his wake.

As soon as he arrived at the Senju compound, he was astonished by the sheer number of blonde heads that covered the surroundings. Even the roofs of the nearby storage buildings.

Quickly composing himself, while some of his ANBU's were still in a state of shock, he decided to approach young Senju and get some answers out of him.

"Oh, good day, Hokage-sama. What brings you here?" Naruto asked grinning like never before. Proud of himself with the amount of Shadow Clones he made. Nidaime, in the scroll, suggested that those who had large chakra should make ten clones at most, even if he himself could create more than that. Mostly for the sake of effectiveness. Although chakra would return to the original, unless of course completely wasted from the clone's side or dispelled during the combat. It would be a strategic blunder to leave the main body weak, even for a moment. Neither Sharingan nor Byakugan could see through it. And Nidaime was not the man to take the risks needlessly.

"Naruto-kun, what were you thinking using this jutsu!? Don't you know it's dangerous?" He questioned sternly. "What was Kosuke thinking of teaching it to you?"

"Uh? Uncle Kosuke didn't teach me Shadow Clones." Naruto said.

"Then who did?"

Naruto for a moment looked towards the other ANBU's who were present, all of them looking at him, then towards Hokage himself. "I found it in my library." He omitted saying _which_ library. If old man could figure it out somehow, he would keep it to himself. As the head of his own clan, he could understand the need to keep some things secret.

Sarutobi in the meantime wanted to slap himself for forgetting that it was his sensei who created that jutsu. Of course he would have it personally, even if he declared it kinjutsu. One of the few kinjutsus that many shinobis _didn't want to_ use even if they had some desire.

"I see... But you should know it is dangerous. Some ninjas died trying to perform it." He told him, still serious from the entire situation.

"I know, the scroll said as much. But it is easier for me, as I already have large reserves plus my tenant who constantly expands them." _Among other things_. He didn't need to mention resistance seals that Kosuke showed him how to place on himself. It was much safer if the user did it himself as it could prevent someone else from using it against him during the fight. And adding additional levels later when he wanted. Not to mention, he wanted to surprise the old man one day when he decided to test him.

Sarutobi sighed. "Very well, but please for my sake, don't use it around the village. I don't want people being suspicious of you and complaining later on."

"I understand, old man."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Don't use it with its _variations_, at least not on this scale." If he had a scroll for regular Shadow Clones, Shadow Clone Explosion would be no exception. With that said – Sarutobi and his ANBU left Naruto and returned to the tower.

Naruto simply smirked and promised he wouldn't before he left, after which he ordered his clones to dispel. Which might not have been his brightest idea as he was suddenly hit with memories of all one hundred of his clones.

Clutching his head in slight pain, Naruto moaned. "Ughh, I need to learn how to sort out memories in a better way." Scroll explained that it would be best to do it one by one, or if one had very good chakra control to sort the memories out in his brain with more numbers.

In the meantime, Sarutobi thought as he walked towards his office. _I wonder how those three would react if I told them the amount of shadow clones Naruto-kun can make._ That very thought brought a smile to Hiruzen's face. Ever since he was young, he enjoyed seeing flabbergasted expressions on their faces. Danzō was better at keeping his emotions from the public eye. Sarutobi couldn't remember when was the last time he saw his rival speechless about anything. When Minato was chosen as Yondaime, he could at least see him growling. _Heart attack maybe?_ He continued imagining how that conversation could develop. Danzō's potential expression could make it to the history books, but the thought of it suddenly made him frown.

Danzō would no doubt attempt to kidnap Naruto and brainwash him into his personal drone if he knew Naruto's almost limitless potential. Even if he didn't tell him about Naruto's progress, war-hawk would no doubt find out himself. Gritting his teeth, Hiruzen knew he would need another conversation with him.

As Kosuke went on a north-eastern border with the Land of Hot Water to help the teams there reinforce the defense of the borders of the Land of Fire. He would need to place additional guards around Naruto's home for the duration of Kosuke's absence. On any sane day, he would execute the man for defying him, but since the New Year, the Uchiha clan has been restless for being suspected for Kyūbi's attack. New arrangments would need to be made for the time being.

"Cat!" Sandaime called out one of his ANBU who momentarily appeared before her leader.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Arrange with Boar and Falcon to make a guard duty for Naruto-kun for the duration of seven days. The mission might be prolonged depending on the situation. At least one of you must be watching him while he is out of his home all the time. Dismissed."

The ANBU in question nodded and went on to make the arrangements for the mission. Three ANBU's from six who knew about Naruto's incident from a few months ago. Kosuke would hopefully finish his mission on time. There weren't many shinobis older than sixty with his experience and knowledge of the Land of Fire's terrain. That's why his presence was needed there. Otherwise, Sarutobi would need to bring in some other people into this case, _omitting_ certain truths of course.

* * *

**With Naruto at the same time**

After resting for a bit, Naruto decided to the basic physical exercises that he done with uncle Kosuke before. The next thing he did was perfecting the Body Replacement Technique and Body Flicker Technique. Kosuke told him that he should never underestimate low-rank jutsu such as that one, for it was life savior on the battlefield.

As he performed various katas, Kosuke thought him, Naruto realized it was better if he had a partner to spar with. Quickly making another shadow clone he started sparring with him – careful not to dispel him. He didn't need to worry himself regarding that. Another clone would take his place. But following Nidaime's words Mind – Technique – Body, it was prudent of him to know how strong of a hit he would land on his opponent, when will he land the hit, and how will he land a hit.

Fūinjutsu was an art he not only hoped to learn, but _needed to_, given his status. While initially resentful of his father for placing such a burden on him – with passing time, the anger lessened. Now Naruto understood the dilemma his father probably had. Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama was the one who captured the Kyūbi and other tailed beasts. Forcing someone else to carry the weight and balance of the Elemental Nations was out of the question. Being the Hokage at the time didn't help either. Village was founded on the principle of Will of Fire, an ideal, that his clan embodied most of all – sacrificing your own happiness for the greater good. If he wasn't ready to sacrifice the happiness of his only son for the sake of the village, how could he expect others to do the same – even if many of them spat on his wish later.

Hearing his stomach grumble in hunger, Naruto decided to go to the village and get some ramen to eat. Using Henge, he transformed into an older, imaginary version of himself with red hair without whiskers and went on his way.

Teuchi and his young daughter were always welcoming of him in their shop and they knew about his Henge as he told them. It wouldn't do good to freak them out if his henge dropped, or even for them to freak out, hearing an order of nine bowls of miso ramen from someone that was not him. Few times, Naruto noticed people suddenly leaving if they saw him enter the shop, or even if they approached it – they would pass it by with disdain in their ugly eyes when they saw him in.

_After all, eyes are the reflection of the soul._

* * *

**The Academy, 1****st**** February**

"Today we will be having our first traditional shinobi spar, class." Sadoru-sensei told them. "Please be quiet as you step out of the room. We don't want to disturb other classes."

There was an immediate chorus of happy and excited shouts from the children. Sadoru sighed at the disregard for her order. They'll learn in time. _Hopefully_.

"Troublesome. I hope I won't have to fight today." Shikamaru mumbled beside Naruto. For three months after meeting Shikamaru and Chōji, Naruto remained friends with them. While he still didn't go to the playground. He would always have lunch with them at the Academy. On a few occasions, Shikamaru brought a shogi board with him and asked him if he wanted to play. While never playing it before, Naruto quickly started catching up, after Shikamaru thought him how on one of their breaks – if the serious expression on Nara's face, during their last two matches was any indication.

As they arrived to the Academy's field that was meant for practice, Sadoru-sensei started explaining rules and rituals before and after every spar. Regarding the actual spar itself, for now, they would pick two students randomly by opening their sheet-record, to see if they practiced any of the actual kata's they were thought previously.

"Okay, the first draw is Uchiha Sasuke." Sadoru-sensei announced. At the same time, many of the girls squealed in delight at seeing him in action.

"The other one is Namikaze Naruto." She told them and looked towards him, smiling.

"Good luck, Naruto." Chōji told him. Shikamaru offered his support as well.

As they stood across each other, making Seal of Confrontation, both boys were studying their respective opponents. Sasuke had a confident look on his face. The only thing he knew about Naruto was that he was an orphan, coming from a civilian backround, _but_ he had a strange aura around him which made Sasuke weary. Senses, he didn't know he had until now warned him not to be overconfident.

Naruto, on the other hand, knew quite a bit about Sasuke, or better said – the Uchiha clan. He knew nothing about Sasuke personally. He spent yesterday evening in his clan's secret library. Unlike son and grandson, Nidaime had much prejudice against the Uchihas. And while Naruto never had any bad engagement with them, he started understanding his ancestor's paranoia. Losing two of his brothers, father, and countless other relatives during the Warring States period didn't help it either, for Tobirama was a man who neither forgave nor forgot easily. But he could pass by his prejudice for the good of the village as he had an Uchiha student himself.

Reading about some of Tobirama's ideas and personal thoughts inspired Naruto that he could do the same for the villagers. That, he would muse about later, as Sadoru-sensei soon announced the match with. "Begin!"

Neither boys moved but stood in their own respective kata's.

Sasuke in his own Uchiha style, a predecessor before he awakens his Sharingan – after which the style itself needed to be adopted to conjure better movements with his eyes.

Naruto in the meantime stood in his great grandfather's style Suijin's Fury(1)**, **which was based on cooperation with Suiton element in addition to Nidaime's famous speed and agility. Albeit Naruto didn't practice or even knew if he had that element, the style itself was flexible and is focused on speed and precise hits. Similarly to the Hyūga's clan Gentle Fist, yet different all the same.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. _That's not the academy style... No matter, I'll still beat him._ He thought confidently as he leaped forward.

As Naruto saw this, knowing he was faster than Sasuke, now with his resistance seals off, stood calmly, preparing to evade when the time comes. Sasuke had his fist ready to hit Naruto, exactly thirty centimeters distance between the two, before Naruto jumped and swirled around in the air, as Sasuke's arm passed where Naruto's body should have been. For a second, while he was in the air, Naruto prepared his own fist and quickly punched Sasuke right in the face, his cheek to be more precise, which caused the young Uchiha to fall to the ground immediately.

The silence was a bit unnerving as everyone watched what happened. Sadoru-sensei quickly announced. "Winner: Namikaze Naruto!"

Naruto approached Sasuke and offered his hand, which the Uchiha accepted, proceeding to ask "What was that? It wasn't any of the academy's kata we're thought here."

"It's not. It's a work in progress, for now at least." Well, it was, even if you don't have Water affinity mastered, you still need to have your body adjusted to the style, and Naruto started learning it for give or take – three weeks now. His muscles were hurting a bit now.

"Well, it's good. Will you teach me once you master it?" Sasuke asked bluntly.

Naruto raised his eyebrow in curiosity but answered nonetheless. "Only if you teach me your Uchiha style."

Sasuke looked at him with a blank expression on his face, but then he smirked. "Not a chance, but a fair point."

"Nice fight buddy." Chōji congratulated him.

"Thanks."

"What was with that style? I've never seen it before." Shikamaru asked him.

"It's a work in progress." Naruto only said.

Shikamaru looked to accept the answer, after which three boys resumed to watch few more spars, chatting between them in the meantime.

"You like gardening?" The question came from Chōji.

"Yes, I do. Or at least I'd like to try." Naruto told him. There was a strange sense of euphoria on the notion of having such a hobby. Training and reading were fun and all. Notion of gardening almost seemed _integrated _in him. "Do you guys know where I can buy some seeds?"

"Try Yamanaka flower shop. Aside from flowers, they also sell seeds for those who want to garden." Shikamaru suggested.

"I didn't know ninja clan did that type of business." Naruto wondered.

"All clans do." Shikamaru said as it was the most common thing in the world.

At Naruto's raised eyebrow he continued. "Troublesome. But all larger clans have different source of income. Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi have partnership between us. Yamanaka supplies us both with various plants from which the Nara clan makes medicines to supply Konoha's hospital and shinobi forces, just like Akimichi's make food pills. Other clans have their own type of income growth, though I'm not familiar with them."

"I see, it would be hard to keep the income high as not everyone in the clan is shinobi. And those who are would most of the time have their own families within the clan to support, in addition to the clan itself. So these businesses are generally safe from the dangers some higher-ranked missions can possess, but still give you guys a fairly good source of wealth. Am I right?" Naruto concluded.

Shikamaru smiled and said. "You are. So, will you visit the Yamanaka flower shop today, then?"

Naruto nodded "I would like to. Will you show me where it is?"

"Sure, my mom wants me to pick up some flowers for her – even if she could do it herself. Says it's to cure my laziness – whatever that meant."

"So, meet you here in the afternoon today, is that okay?"

"It is."

* * *

**Two years later. Naruto age: 8. **

**Hokage's office**

Rubbing his temples, Sarutobi sighed as thoughts about the events from four months ago appeared before his eyes. He always tried banishing hatred from his heart in his profession, as it was one of the emotions that would hinder his ability to be shinobi and could potentially be his downfall as a Hokage. Just like sensei told him before he died. But he couldn't feel anything but hatred and sorrow right now.

_Hate _towards Fugaku for his ambition to start a coup d'état and to try and use Naruto as a means to diverge his attention from the clan. But also to later use as a weapon to have better control over the village. Fugaku was not an honorable man as he led everyone else to believe. Two weeks before Itachi did what he did – there was a break in security, as the information was leaked to the village that Naruto killed three Academy students who bullied him. While he wanted to simply execute Fugaku for leaking it, as it was he who did it according to Itachi – he couldn't. The Uchiha clan was too involved in the coup. Had Danzō not ordered Itachi to eliminate them, civil war might have broken out in the village _anyway_. The Uchiha's might not have possessed manpower to overthrow him. Far from it. But it would cause much wider damage, as they could use civilians to gain wider support. The worst part? Many shinobis came from civilian backround originally. They could be _swayed_. The village was weakened enough from the Kyūbi's attack. More bloodshed was not needed. _Ironic_.

Danzō was the second person he _hated_. Had he didn't create friction with the Uchiha's in the first place, none of this would have happened. Sarutobi ordered him to disband the ROOT, but he doubted his rival would do as he asked. Probably just went further into the underground. He would let him continue to defend the Konoha from the dark, mostly because he didn't know what to do with more than a hundred highly trained drones. At the very least, he could stop him from recruiting this way. This made him _hate _the third person most – himself.

Had he been the true shinobi as Tobirama-sensei always envisioned him to be, the day Orochimaru escaped, countless problems could have been avoided. Jiraiya would not need to run around the Elemental Nations, chasing after him, fixing Hiruzen's mistakes. Jiraiya could stay in the village with his godson. Naruto would not be alone for the first few years of his life and would not need to unleash the Wind element to defend himself at the age of six.

Had he not been sentimental craven, he would have executed Danzō a long time ago and would not walk around and did as he pleased. Now too deeply involved, and in order to defend Konoha from potential threats - he allowed Danzō to walk freely, again.

The result of his weakness?

Four hundred and fifty-five dead Uchiha's, including forty-seven_ children from which 6 were just out of the cradle_. Sasuke Uchiha being the last Uchiha alive. _Last 'loyal' Uchiha_. Hiruzen corrected himself mentally.

Naruto 'Namikaze', the last 'loyal' Senju becoming even more introverted and slightly misanthropic towards certain villagers. Kosuke reported that the boy was pretty normal outside of the wider circles of society - contrary to his appearances in public. But it wasn't a healthy behavior. He didn't want a boy to become a certain type of eccentric person. While he still had two friends in Nara and Akimichi's boys, he was distanced from the rest of the class. Much like Sasuke was. But while for Sasuke, his classmates reserved _pity_, for Naruto they felt _**fear**_.

This was all too much for him to bear. If only Tsunade decided to return to the village and become the Hokage. She was young, _in her own way_. But she had a reputation of being a hothead who didn't take no for an answer. If she ordered the villagers not to shun Naruto, they would probably kiss the ground he walked over. Maybe he was exaggerating, but she was the perfect candidate, as Jiraiya didn't want the job.

Sometimes he felt that Two World Wars during which he led the village were easier than the political climate ever since Minato died. Rebuilding the village from the damage of the Kyūbi's attack. Reorganizing shinobi forces and forcing retired ninja's on active duty. Funding for orphans from the war and the attack, latter of one leaving many more than the war itself. The Hyūga Affair, Naruto's incident, and finally the latest one, Uchiha's plan for Coup d'état.

_If only Jiraiya was here right now..._

"Did you miss me, Sarutobi-sensei?"

_Speak of the devil_.

"Jiraiya?" Hiruzen happily exclaimed, his eyes lithing up in a joy he rarely felt in the past few years.

"What's with the gloomy look, old man? You're fifty years too late to refuse the job." Jiraiya joked as he entered the office through the window.

"It's yours if you want to take the carriage from this old man's back."

"Pass." The Sannin raised his hand in defense, jokingly.

Hiruzen smiled, he needed someone to talk to. Someone he could trust with no reservation. Ordering his ANBU to leave and setting up the privacy seals, he turned to his student.

"You have no idea how happy I'm to see you, Jiraiya. I've been looking everywhere for you for nearly **two** years."

Jiraiya, still keeping a small smile on his face, took a seat in front of the Hokage. "You know the spymaster's job, sensei. I needed to lay low for a while. Especially when searching for Orochimaru."

Settling up in serious expression, Hiruzen asked him. "What have you last heard of him? Did he defected to some other village?" It would be even more prudent to eliminate him. If he defected to Kumo or Iwa, there was no question that they would need to reorganize their entire defenses. There was no telling what Orochimaru would tell them.

But that was a low possibility. For all their rivalry and hate with Konoha – Kumo and Iwa hated Orochimaru for killing some of their top shinobis and being one of most militarist figures in their enemy who pushed for further war with them. Kiri was a possibility as it had a lot of bloodline holders. Something Orochimaru dearly **loved**. But being a caste-based society with paranoic leadership, suspicious of its own citizens. Kiri would be hard pressed to accept him. The most likely scenario is that they would execute him and try to figure out Konoha's weaknesses, themself.

"No. At least not in a traditional sense." Jiraiya started. "I found out that he was keeping some connections with few clans in Land of Rice fields ever since the start of the Third War. One branch of Fūma Clan, Shiin, Endō, Ii, and various others. There is also rumor of a hidden village forming in that country."

"Aren't they sixty years too late for that?" Sarutobi snorted and Jiraiya laughed, but his expression turned serious after a while. "We'll need to investigate that in any case. If Orochimaru is behind its creation, he will definitely pose an even bigger threat to us in the future. A new hidden village that borders us is a potential **threat**. Especially if Orochimaru is behind it. We've never had good relations with those clans."

"There is more, sensei." Jiraiya said after a small pause. "Shortly after fleeing the village, Orochimaru joined a criminal organization, named Akatsuki, composed of few other S-rank missing-nins."

Hiruzen's eyes widened. S-ranks shinobis were not so easily found under a rock. In fact, right now, they could be listed in Konoha on one hand, all five fingers not needed.

"Do you know any of their members? Aside from Orochimaru of course... And..." He slowly asked. He himself knew one already.

"No, but _you_ know one of them. In fact, you placed him in a position to join them, didn't you sensei?" Jiraiya said, not letting Hiruzen even finish his thoughts.

Keeping his straight face, Hiruzen closed his eyes and nodded, muttering. "Itachi-kun..."

"Yes. Him." Jiraiya confirmed, nodding as he spoke. "You don't know how shocked I was when he sent his crow and caught me in that genjutsu of his for a second." Jiraiya said smirking. "I must be getting rusty lately... Anyway. After he caught me in his genjutsu, he told me of his mission against his clan. Political climate in the village, prior to the massacre of course. Including the _incident _about Naruto." Jiraiya glared at Hiruzen after mentioning the name of his godson. Hiruzen simply continued nodding with his eyes closed. "I will tell you everything about Naruto-kun, Jiraiya, after you tell me of this Akatsuki organization. Before he left, Itachi told me he will join them, but nothing more."

Jiraiya sighed and stood up, approaching the window of the Hokage's office, looking at the village in the distance. "I don't know much about them. Members or goals. Itachi told me he will deliver more information on them after he establishes himself for some time." Smiling at the next thought, Jiraiya continued. "But he did tell me just before I arrived here, again via his crows, that Orochimaru tried to take him and his Sharingan."

"I see that the deluded student of mine failed has in his endeavor." Sarutobi smirked. "What happened after?"

"Not much, aside from Orochimaru fleeing. Possibly towards the clans of Land of Rice Fields." Jiraiya answered. "We can safely assume that the Akatsuki and Orochimaru will be at each other's throats for a while. Initially, I wanted to suggest you to send few teams and investigate those clans, but if Rice Daimyō has given him asylum and word gets out we're having incursions to a country that is not in any sort of alliance or agreement with the Land of Fire... It could cause an international incident – worse, a new World War. It would be best if I go there and try to investigate it myself."

"Indeed." Sarutobi said. "I know that the Fire Daimyō would support us if it got to that. He always did, ever since he ascended to his position. But I don't want to abuse his fondness of us. If we did send a few platoons, Rice Daimyō could call upon other neighboring countries and make it like we're invading them for more land, where we would be drawn to war with other smaller villages. I have no fear that we would beat them, but it could potentially weaken us and give more leverage to either Kumo or Iwa to take the chance and act against us. I don't want another episode of the Hyūga Affair. One was more than enough." The last words were spoken by Sarutobi with gritted teeth.

After lighting his pipe, inhaling and exhaling some smoke, Sarutobi spoke. "Officially. We will do nothing but watch for now. With all that happened in the last few years, there is nothing more we can do. You on the other hand should try to find out as much as you can."

Jiraiya nodded. "I'll keep my eyes open on this small war between Akatsuki and Orochimaru. If they end up destroying each other in the process, good for us. One of them should be weakened by the end. We could use that." Sarutobi grunted in affirmation.

"Now... Tell me about these incidents with Naruto." Jiraiya said with a serious expression, taking his seat once again.

"Very well."

For the duration of half-hour, Jiraiya listened to everything Hiruzen told him. From the first time Naruto had unintentionally used the Wind element, to his time at the Academy. Listening to Sarutobi speak, Jiraiya had to occasionally frown and sometimes smile after hearing that Minato's boy is a top student, not just in class, but the entire Academy. It seems that talent passed from father to son, each generation of the Senju clan. Jiraiya didn't doubt that Kosuke thought him well. It looked as if the Eternal Genin decided to exit his shell of self-loathing. It especially pleased him when he heard that Naruto was friends with heirs of Nara and Akimichi clans, even after the truth about the incident was revealed to the public. Shikaku and Chōza had good sons to lead their families one day. Even if Minato's boy was a bit introverted, according to what sensei said, he was highly intelligent. He hoped Naruto could see the reason for Jiraiya's absence.

"He should be at the Academy now, right?" Jiraiya asked after hearing the full story.

"Yes, they're having a taijutsu class right now, if I'm not mistaken."

"Well, I'm going to watch it."

Sarutobi raised his right eyebrow "No research right away? That's unusual." He smirked.

"Some other time sensei. This is my priority now." Jiraiya said, smiling, but in a serious tone.

* * *

**At the Academy's training ground**

"Hatano Unagi against Namikaze Naruto. Begin!" Sadoru-sensei announced after pairing them together for taijutsu spar.

Unagi stood at his side of the sparring field, looking at the Naruto with fear in his eyes. Why the hell was he paired with _him_? For the first year and a half of the Academy, Unagi didn't think much of Naruto aside from being good at everything he did. _Good_ didn't do him justice. Naruto was _best_ at _everything_. Shuriken and kunai throwing? He'll hit every target he was told. Geography? He'll tell you about the types of trees that grow in _Land of Waterfalls_. History? He'll tell you about the battle Nidaime Hokage had with Kinkaku unit – _like he was there himself_.

The most disturbing part about him was the story about the incident that happened two years ago. The incident where he killed three _older Academy students_ with Wind ninjutsu, as some rumors said. What was he? Why was he allowed to enter the Academy after doing that?

Unagi remembered the time when he and Hibachi called him a geek, nerd. _Out of jealousy_. Thoughts about what his blonde classmate could do to him after revelations brought shivers to his body. But standing in his academy kata facing Naruto, adjusting his glasses, he tried putting his false sense of courage. He practiced with his older Chūnin brother. He would put up a fight, even if he lost. But fear in his eyes and shivers in his body never left him.

"Shinobi rule number eighteen." Were the words that left Naruto's mouth, before he leaped forward. Unagi's eyes widened at the show of speed, as Naruto surged towards him, his own fighting style in place – hitting Unagi's shaken hand away before leaving his straight hand in front of his eyes.

"A shinobi must never show any weakness." Naruto said seriously before leaving the sparring ground, not bothering to do seal of reconciliation.

_But what if you don't have strength against the demon?_

* * *

**At the Academy's rooftop**

"This is what I was telling you about." Sarutobi said. "He goes leaps and bounds compared to his peers. I could let him graduate early, he could have been made Chūnin now. Kakashi certainly did before him. But you know how many Senju's died doing that. In times of peace we are, but nothing is certain once you go outside." Sarutobi finished and inhaled smoke from his pipe.

Jiraiya said nothing but kept looking down from the roof at his godson. He knew that style of fighting, at least from the history books when he saw the fighting pose of Nidaime Hokage. Deadly fighting style, Naruto looked like he was adept at it, if his standing was any indication. He hoped his godson would open up to him, even if he failed him as a godfather for most of his life.

"You can talk to him after classes, for now, let's go and eat something." Sarutobi suggested. "And I want you to tell me if you found anything new about Tsunade."

* * *

**After the Academy's classes**

"See you tomorrow guys."

"Later!" Shikamaru told him after departing from the Academy and going in his own direction.

Naruto continued on his way to his home. Uncle Kosuke had an entire free week, so he could help him further his Water element manipulation. For now, he was at the second stage of the said manipulation, while the Wind would come on later. He found out that he had an extremely _strong affinity_ for the Water, in addition to an equally strong affinity to the Wind. Offensive and defensive element. His clan's library said that if one could master the Wind to its fullest extent, he could utilize it as a defense as well. The Water could suit as offensive too, although, he did not need to master it to the fullest if he wanted to use it that way. Nonetheless, Naruto was adamant in mastering _both_.

Entering through the backyard door to his home, Naruto found Kosuke, Sandaime Hokage, and a tall white-haired man talking to each other like war pals. _He looks kind of familiar_. Before it clicked him. This was Jiraiya of the Sannin, his father's sensei, and one of Konoha's finest. And his _godfather_. Now, what would he look for him after eight years? He would find out anyway.

"Uncle Kosuke, old man." Naruto called with a small smile on his face. These people never shunned him either for the fox, or the incident. Uncle Kosuke was not just his trainer, but a family as well. Old man as well. He would occasionally invite him for lunch at his tower when Kosuke was away for a mission.

"Jiraiya-sama." Naruto said formally.

"No need to be formal around me kid, I'm not the one for it either." Jiraiya smiled.

"Since you already know about Jiraiya here, he wanted to speak to you about some things." Sandaime said a bit awkwardly. Granted, he already told Naruto who his godfather was when he told him about the fox. But some things happened over a period of two years...

"Anyhow, I have something to speak with Kosuke here, so I'll leave you two to talk." Sarutobi said and, along with Kosuke left two of them alone.

Silence stretched and it was obviously unbearable for Jiraiya. "So, uh. I guess since you already know who I am, there is no need for an introduction. Hehe."

"Let us go inside." Naruto said, leading Jiraiya to the part of the house that was not covered in seals.

As they walked in silence, Jiraiya looked around the house, memories of walking through it with Minato, sometimes, when he was at the village, sleeping here. Minato always invited him in. Man was like a son to him. Hopefully, Naruto would let him into his life as well.

After a short walk, they arrived in the living room. Naruto motioned for Jiraiya to sit at the nearby furniture, while he himself sat on another.

Silence stretched once again, and Jiraiya decided to break it once it became awkward. "So, uh... Look, Naruto, I know you're angry with me for not being the..." He didn't continue further as Naruto held his arm up.

"I'm not angry with you."

"You're not?"

"No. Well, I was at the beginning, and later when the village found out about the incident... I resented you for a time, because if you took me with you, none of it would have happened to me. But, the old man always told me about your missions and how dangerous it would be for me outside. Not to mention your other teammate who is a dangerous enemy." Naruto said. It was true. Old man told him about Jiraiya's job. As well as the fact that his godfather did take care of him for the first few months of his life, just before Orochimaru went rouge.

"No, I could have done more. I could have found Tsunade, so at least she could take care of you, but then Orochimaru betrayed us and I had to hunt him down..."

"No need to worry, I'm not the one to wallow in self-pity anyway. So I won't turn you away. I would be a hypocrite if I did anyway."

"Huh?" Jiraiya was puzzeld.

"As I said, I was initially bitter at you for abandoning me, but as the time gone by and I spend time reading some of my fathers writings, I changed that opinion. He always spoke highly of you and said you were one of the most responsible Konoha-nin's at his time doing the best of your abilities for the good of the village."

Jiraiya stood up and walked over to Naruto, sitting beside him and placing his hand on his shoulder. "You don't need to feel so let down, my boy. And you don't need to be so lenient towards me either. I failed as a godfather and I'm sure Minato will not forgive me either, regardless of the duty I had. Not to mention Kushina..." Jiraiya said with a sad smile.

"Well, I always wanted to have a large family myself. I have a wise and experienced uncle, old man Hokage as a grandfather, and what is another grandfather as well? Even if he's a pervert." Naruto smirked in the end.

"Wait, wait, wait just a second. How the hell do you know I'm a pervert? I didn't even do my introduction." Jiraiya asked completely off guard.

"Dad had your pervy books in the library, along with your first one. Which is a good book by the way, if a bit too idealistic and unrealistic in my opinion."

"Oh, so you read them?" Jiraiya exclaimed happily, but then shivered. "Wait, you read Make-out Tactics!?"

"Uh, no. Just a backside and seeing front cover the first time was enough to let me know what it was about." Naruto said smiling.

"Good, because Kushina would kill me double once I die if you did." Jiraiya exclaimed relieved.

"So will you stay in the village for now?" Naruto asked. It would be good to have more people around him who are not afraid of him or outright hate him.

Jiraiya nodded. "I sure will. I'd like to get to know you better, Naruto. And I'd like to train you sometimes when I'm in the village."

"Great!"

After that, they talked for the next few hours. Jiraiya already knew most of the things about Naruto's private life from Sandaime, but was curious about Naruto's training nonetheless. Suffice to say, he was in awe of the shinobi knowledge Naruto possessed. As well as an amazing repertoire of jutsus, given his age. By the time he graduates, he would be far ahead of anyone from his generation if he continued with this road.

_Maybe I should test him?_ Jiraiya thought.

"I'm still a beginner with fūinjutsu, but that's because I haven't touched that art as much as I would like to." Naruto said.

Jiraiya nodded. "You're in luck! Because I'm a fūinjutsu master myself. I'll gladly help you advance your knowledge in the art. And I also have a few techniques I'd like to teach you myself, ones that I invented." Jiraiya said.

"Really? Which ones exactly?" Naruto asked being excited at such a notion...

"You'll find out tomorrow." Jiraiya grinned.

"Fine. But I was wondering about something. How come you never managed to find my aunt Tsunade? I thought she would be easier to find than your rouge teammate."

Jiraiya sighed. "You can never know with that woman what she's up to. I admit I didn't try as hard as I wanted, but I tried nonetheless. I only run at her debt-collectors."

"It seems she's adamant about not being found by anyone from Konoha, but at least I can breathe easy knowing she's alive." Jiraiya finished.

"You mean she's angry at Konoha for losing her brother and lover?" Naruto proposed.

"Not only on Konoha. But she was angry at your father as well."

"My father? But he never wrote anything bad about her..."

"Hah!" Jiraiya exclaimed. "Of course Minato will not write anything bad about _anyone_. Especially her. She was his family. What I meant was – she was angry at your father for not letting her use some of the clan's money for gambling." He snorted. "Man, I remember her leaving the village for the last time cursing Minato and her own _foolishness._"

"Her foolishness?" Naruto asked, a bit uninformed.

"Yeah. Originally, she was the head of the clan, but passed that title to Minato after she retired from shinobi life. But, I'm sure she would return and raise you if she knew that you exist, though. For all her faults, she is a good person." Jiraiya told him with a nostalgic smile.

"I hope so..."

"Now that I think about it, Minato's death must be the reason she doesn't want to return to the village or have anything with anyone from Konoha. Last time I saw her was before Kyūbi's attack. She must have been thinking of Konoha being cursed towards her and her family..." Jiraiya muttered in the end.

* * *

**Two years later, Naruto age: 10**

Sitting under one of Konoha's waterfalls, Naruto, with another nine shadow clones, was focusing on splitting the waterfall with his Wind chakra. This was the third out of five steps of elemental manipulation, particularly, Wind manipulation. First was splitting the leaf on the number of times he wanted, second one splitting the rock the same way. The third one was splitting the waterfall. The fourth one would be drawing the sign on the hard ground using nothing but wind. The fifth part was simply using all that and shape the wind around him with his chakra with the help of the respective hand seals, although it wasn't easy as it seemed. Wind was infamous as the hardest element to master for a reason.

Chakra control needed to be a place in order for Wind techniques to be as deadly as they were in theory. Wasting as little chakra as it was possible as well. The third and fourth steps were _optional_. As shinobi could utilize this element with his battle-fan, in addition to have a good chakra control. Element itself was tied tightly to the user's own affinity and control of the air on the field around him. But, Naruto had very strong anyway so once he master's the element he will be as unpredictable for such an element as it is possible.

Contrary to the Wind, Water elemental manipulation was of course different. Naruto had to dampen the leaf for the first step, pull the water out of the lake for the second, stop the flow of the waterfall for the third. He finished the fourth step already which was pulling the water from the trees and plants during meditation in one of the more denser forests of Konoha. Fifth step – he would finish after the fourth step of Wind manipulation. This one would possibly be the hardest one. For he needed to turn the aqueous vapor into the liquid state on instinct. Not many ninja's bothered with this step as it required very good chakra control, better than average reserves, and pure **dedication**.

He could use both Wind and Water techniques after the second step. Third, fourth, and fifth would only make it easier and make him a master of those elements as well. Most of the ninjas didn't bother mastering their element further after the second step and occasionally third, jumping straight towards the fifth one. Even in Sunagakure, they prefer a battle fan to help them with Wind manipulation in combat. While in Kiri shinobis having primary affinity for Water for most of the time, only went up until the fourth step, with Kage's doing the fifth. Yet even with the fifth step, no-one has ever got to his great-grandfather's level. _Yet_.

Unlike two of Naruto's affinities, the Earth element, which could easily help its user in ninety percent of situations simply due to the fact that it didn't require from the user to master various steps which could take years. Larger chakra reserves and better control was needed if one wanted to call himself a master of that element. Iwagakure _loved_ that fact, henceforth they preferred quantity over quality of their forces, unlike Konoha. Although, they did like experimenting with advanced nature transformations.

Lighting and Fire were different from the other elements. While Wind and Water required from its user to have control of the nature around him in addition to having mastery of his chakra and element within his body, Fire and Lighting more depended _only_ on its user and his own body and chakra.

"That would be enough elemental training for today, Naruto-kun. Let us turn to kenjutsu practice for a while." Kosuke called him out from his elemental training.

While not adept at various kenjutsu styles Senju clan practiced, Kosuke was quick to correct Naruto's posture whenever he made some visible mistake. He was a master at Konoha-Ryū and its sub-styles, Konoha's most famous kenjutsu school.

For the next half hour, they engaged in the spar, with Kosuke being better than Naruto, but it was expected anyway.

"Very good, Naruto-kun. Dare I say, you will surpass me in the near future." Kosuke complimented with one of his traditional smiles.

Naruto grinned. "Can we go for taijutsu next?" This was part where Naruto would _soon enough_ surpass Kosuke, mostly due to his speed and youth. Still, Kosuke was no pushover at his old age.

That would go on for the next few hours before the evening, with Naruto and Kosuke sparring in various shinobi arts, like every other day. As he had tomorrow day free from the Academy, Naruto would spend time in his clan's secret library reading whatever came to his hand. Bidding goodbye to Kosuke, Naruto went on his way towards his home.

For the past four years, ever since he found the room, Naruto was influenced by the writings of his ancestors, but most of all, his great-grandfather, Tobirama Senju.

Despite his pragmatic nature, that he claimed to possess, and as history books described him – Tobirama was _very_ antagonistic in his belief towards certain villages, particularly Kumo and Iwa. It was funny to Naruto, because those two fought against Konoha in every war. With the former one influencing Nidaime more than anything. With particular theft that would later help the formation of Kumogakure. And two brothers who were responsible for it.

As he sat in the library, he took a book titled '_**History of the Sage's blood and divergence from its mainline(s)**_'. Written by the none other – Tobirama Senju.

Naruto read the first seven chapters already. They described the history and formation of both Senju and the Uchiha clans. Their diplomatic relations with their various customers, to their influence on the development of the shinobi world and other clans, but from Tobirama's _point of view_. The book was written from the time of the ending of the Warring States to the time when he became the Second Hokage. Two clans apparently descended from the two brothers who were sons of the legendary _Sage of Six Paths_. His name was nowhere mentioned, but the name of one of his sons was – _Asura_. (2) Tobirama reasoned that the name of the Sage was lost due to the destruction of certain documents, similar to the name of the Uchiha's clan progenitor. To fill the gap between the information that was not available, Tobirama would present some of his own theories regarding their origins. But aside from the Senju and the Uchiha's, there were 'offshoots' of both clans, with one of them claiming to possess the blood of both clans, _the Hagoromo clan_. Naruto started reading the chapter that described that clan.

_\- **Hagoromo clan** is an offshoot of the Senju clan, or rather one particular Senju man and woman claiming to be part of the Uchiha clan, although there was no evidence to support this claim, aside from common Hagoromo legend that their founder Senju Hagoromo and woman of the 'Uchiha' clan fell in love and produced seven children together. I'm not someone to believe that every black-haired and black-eyed woman with a slightly bigger ego than usual, is a member of the Uchiha clan. But even that didn't stop the Uchiha's from allying with them. From the clan's genealogy that was looted, after the attack 'I' led on them, no evidence was found about intermarriage with either the Uchiha's or Hyūga's. But there were few shreds of evidence that I found among them that suggest they may have connections to both of those other clans in a rather unorthodox way..._

Naruto continued reading through the next few pages which described their daily life, founding date, their fighting style, techniques, and political alliances with mission records that were looted from them by Tobirama Senju, shortly before the formation of Konoha. Naruto looked up towards one of the bookshelves with various wooden scrolls, that had the Hagoromo clan's symbol with the name under it. _Records of their missions and other stuff must be there_. Naruto remembered. He knew about it already but didn't divulge further until now.

He continued reading the rest of their history and battles with Senju's. Reading it, he found out they killed many of his clansmen as they were allied with the Uchiha's during the Warring States period. (3) Part that piqued his interest particularly was Tobirama's own theory about their origin from gathered pieces of information after their destruction. Few following sections and paragraphs said:

_\- Many clans possess the 'bloodlust', or at least claim they do, but many of them use it simply in the thrill of battle, usually conducted with their techniques and styles. Hagoromo clan does that too, but on a far wider and far more savage scale than the others. But even with that – there aren't many clans who do that. Although one other comes to mind particularly. **Kaguya clan**._

_\- It is no secret that for all their conservative attitude, the thrill of taboo cannot escape even the Hyūga clan. So it is not surprising when a woman of the Hyūga clan decided to impregnate herself with 'bad boy' Uchiha. Naturally, Hyūga didn't like that, for it brought great shame upon the clan, causing them to expel the woman and her bastard son. Hyūga woman, named Kaguya went on with her son, Kimaro, initially to the Uchiha clan, but was refused an entry. In order not to get off from the subject at question here. But after it was formed, initially in the Land of Hot Water, the Kaguya clan gained an infamous reputation as being a clan of bloodlust savages, but with a powerful gift – **Shikotsumyaku, the Dead Bone Pulse**. No doubt that the imbalance from mixing Uchiha and Hyūga blood caused this, but resentment of their banishment as well. Kaguya clan, however in my time held their 'bloodlust' and lust for battle more as a conservative tradition and their trademark, with occasional clan leader trying to increase their savagery. As only **14** of them in all of their existence possessed Shikotsumyaku. Their taijutsu prowess is undeniable, however, in other chapters, dedicated to them, I will give more space to this clan._

_\- **If** Senju Hagoromo fell in love with this woman, it could be that she was of the Kaguya clan, or at least offspring from some of Kaguya's rape campaigns. In addition to having the blood of mad Kaguya's who themself have blood of Uchiha's and Hyūga. Next generations of Hagoromo's inherited the 'madness' of Kaguya's and large chakra reserves of Senju. From one side, they could become one of the most powerful clans to ever live, but luckily for us, they were only mad savages like initial Kaguya's, if a bit more intelligent than them._

_\- The main evidence to support this claim lays from the fact that the first matriarch of the clan had **two marks** on her forehead as their revered illustration I found, suggests. In no other clan can this be found, but that of the Kaguya._

_\- **Imbalance** by mixing Uchiha's and Hyūga created Kaguya's. Now, a new imbalance by mixing this fusion with Senju's created further imbalance resulting in the Hagoromo clan._

_\- Case closed. Try picking mushrooms around your own fields!_

Naruto drank everything his ancestor wrote for a second. It made sense, in a certain way. As the first bloodlines were unbalanced initially, thus resulting in bloodline clans having to only marry among themself to balance it out and _keep it to themself_. It wouldn't be different for the same thing to happen with more powerful and more _mythological _clans. Still, unlike those other clans, it seems that Senju's don't generally need to marry in-clan only, but do need to be careful with **whom** they marry. Every man must have it's own forbidden fruit to avoid, it seems.

"Try picking mushrooms around your own fields!" Naruto had to laugh at his ancestor's advice. It wouldn't be possible now to do that. Would it? But his clan didn't need to resort to incest to keep their blood "pure" in the first place. Hashirama's and Tobirama's mother was not from the Senju clan, yet two of them were hailed as strongest Senju's to ever live, and one of the strongest shinobis to ever exist.

_**\- Downfall of Hagoromo clan**_

_\- Hashirama's dream of creating a peaceful environment where children of all clans within the Land of Fire(and beyond as he likes to point out every single day) could grow up to actually become adults was coming to fruition. While it was only a matter of time before Uchiha's surrender, Hagoromo's still stood loyal to Madara in opposing Senju's, more than Madara's own clansmen did. If Hashirama actually wants his dream to come to realization, he should know that it cannot be realized with Hagoromo's walking around. Even surrounded Uchiha's know that. _

_\- As he is my brother, I know Hashirama better than anyone, no matter how many times he claims it is Madara who knows him best. Because I know him, I knew he would (try to) bring Hagoromo's to the fold eventually. But will the village and society work after that? The answer is – NO. Senju's are not the only ones who are at war with Hagoromo's. While they are allied with the Uchiha's, it is only for the purpose of defeating us, Senju's. Entire Land of Fire knows about raids Hagoromo's committed upon the clans of Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi. Does Hashirama think those clans will be willing to join the village if it means living next to them? I had a problem with coming to the reality I'll live next to the Uchiha's. And we fought them since the dawn of days._

_\- Hagoromo clan needed to fall. Before the actual talks about creating the village came to the wider masses._

_\- Attack on Hagoromo's was the first joint mission of the future village. Hashirama can think of this as a prototype. Allying with Yamanaka's, Nara's and Akimichi's brought downfall on the Hagoromo clan. During the battle, I sensed all of the ones we knew of within the compound. With my sensory skills, I tried to pinpoint if any of them were outside of the compound during the attack. And there were. Approximately twenty-eight of them. None was spared in the following campaigns._

The next few pages described the battle with the clan itself. Tobirama Senju led it, with clan heads of Yamanaka's, Nara's and Akimichi's acting as support, supplanting the assault with their own clansmen. Planning the attack and execution. Everything went flawless, which made his great-grandfather even more famous through the Elemental Nations. But it also helped the creation of the village as three clans that helped Senju's, accepted invitation to join eventually. But before that, Madara was needed to be dealt with.

_\- For that reason, I can safely assume that the clan was completely eradicated during the attack and following campaigns with no survivors. I took their scrolls, records, and letters for further investigation. _

_\- The most disturbing documents this clan possessed, was the idea and wish to have the ability to **revive the dead**. While no actual technique to do so has been found in their compound. Theories and ideas to actually create it are there, and very close to accomplishing it. But I have to give credit where it's due. Had they actually created it, they would possibly be unstoppable. Still, it doesn't mean I won't try and finish it. If Madara does decide to go rogue on the village eventually, it seems Izuna will have to beat it out of him. _(4)

_\- Hunter-nins will be needed once the village is formed. Hunting the remaining Hagoromo's made sure of that. It is almost certain that there will be rouges in the new system. But I will prevent the rise of renegades like Hagoromo's were. Fighting with this clan solidified my belief that shinobi need to set aside their emotions within their profession and to control them outside of it._

Naruto closed the book and looked at the dark ceiling of the secret library. He knew that times of Warring States was brutal, but he never thought his family was capable of exterminating another clan like they did to Hagoromo's. He didn't feel any shame, instead it was satisfaction and pride.

Standing up, taking the lamp with him, he walked over to the jutsu sections of the room. By his estimates and with the help of shadow clones, he would master all five steps of elemental manipulation for both his primary elements by the time he graduated from the Academy, in two years. After that, he would focus more on fūinjutsu and space-time ninjutsu. He would continue improving his bukijutsu skills. He could be considered far better than average in those skills than your average ninja, but he should never stop training, same with taijutsu, although he would need to constantly train, all three things: mind – body – technique.

Genjutsu, he would probably never be able to master to its full potential which would include lower-ranked ones. Kyūbi's chakra constantly expanded his already large reserves. For him to use genjutsu normally like everyone else, he would need to find the way to either completely synchronize his chakra with that of the Kyūbi or to separate it which would include reinforcing the seal. Well, the second option is out of the question, while the first one could cause potential damage to his mind with the influence of the Kyūbi.

Jiraiya told him that jinchūriki could accomplish good chakra control even with the amount they had thanks to their bijū. But for some reason, it was different in his case. It was either due to the seal that he had been draining the Kyūbi's chakra and expanding his chakra coils. _Or_ the sly fox was just being an asshole and wanted to mess with him.

In the long run, this wasn't as bad as it seemed at first. While he couldn't use every genjutsu that he got his hands on – only B-rank and higher for him. Well, he could already use some of those as they weren't hard to master once you got the theory right. Bringer-of-Darkness Technique and Temple of Nirvana Technique he mastered. Those were probably the strongest genjutsus outside of the Uchiha and Kurama clan's. Those under B-rank were not important, but it was a slight punch on his pride that he couldn't use them.

Fūinjutsu was an interesting topic for many reasons. After the creation of the village, Tobirama Senju created a seal he marked on his heart, which would in turn in conjunction with his own chakra, protect his entire body with a layer of chakra that would prevent the Sharingan user from seeing the way chakra was molded in the user's body, thus being unable to copy the technique. While the Byakugan user couldn't see chakra points. Later only remained a theory. As a proud clan, Hyūga's would never admit deficiency of their eyes. Especially during the early days of the village. (5)

_Ability to revive the dead_. Naruto remembered that section from the book. If Hagoromo's had manuscripts to create that jutsu, or at least its prototype, no doubt Tobirama finished it, just as he said he would. If his jab at reviving the deceased brother of Madara Uchiha was any indication.

Even if he didn't know every jutsu or information from this room, Naruto did inspect all the bookcases in detail. But aside from few mentions here and there – there was nothing about this Edo Tensei. The Nidaime, either hid it well. Or never actually created it, aside from one jab at Madara.

_Maybe it was better that way._

* * *

**Author's note:**

(1) Suijin's Fury is a made-up name by me. I used Water Release: Hard Whirlpool Water Blade from the games, I think that's the name of the technique, for inspiration. Anyhow, that's what I'll call Tobirama's taijutsu style from now on in this story. So: Tobirama's usual taijutsu style + Water elemental manipulation in his hand in the shape of a whirlpool when giving a strike. Although it's not necessary to use Suiton during the fight. I know, genius!

(2) Yes. The name of Senju and Uzumaki's progenitor is known to the Senju's. But not that of Ashura's brother and their father. Uchiha's do know about it but are not keen on divulging that information to Senju's or anyone else. There will be more exploration of these two later on, but for now, I'll keep it as mysterious (for characters in the story) as I can.

(3) Butsuma Senju, Tobirama's father said to his children in Chapter #622 that the Hagoromo clan is opposed to Senju like Uchiha's. While it wasn't directly mentioned that two of them were allied, I'm going with that here. They were "particularly merciless", playing their part in the death of Kawarama Senju who was 7 at the time. I love the way Butsuma Senju was portrayed. Stern, yet I could see him as a caring father when he warned Hashirama that Madara was Uchiha. Also hiding that fact from the rest of the clan to protect Hashirama. Kawarama's and Itama's deaths, just like Nawaki's was used as a slight reference for Senju's dying young and crippling the clan.

(4) I never understood why Tobirama actually created Edo Tensei. It doesn't seem like something the leader of a village that was founded on the principle of brotherhood and unity would do even for the sake of the village. It requires sacrifices to do it. And I don't believe a guy like Tobirama would be so careless to either leave scrolls for Edo Tensei or manuscripts of it out for some renegade rouge, like Orochimaru to "master" it. If I'm not mistaken, during part one, Orochimaru at one occasion said that **he **was the one to develop that technique, particularly when he tried to bribe Tsunade to heal his arms. Not to jump from the current point. But here Orochimaru will develop his own Edo Tensei being inspired by Nidaime's, just like in the anime, Naruto Shippuden Episode #316. In any case, the reason why Tobirama created it here was to wage psychological warfare on Madara if he ever went rogue. Granted, he never had the chance, but the idea is there.

(5) Sharingan can still see the hand seals required to perform the techniques, but not the way chakra is molded. I got this idea while I was writing Naruto's entrance to the library and protective layers on the house and hallway to the library.

**Added Note:** I know that Kishimoto said somewhere that if a Hyūga and the Uchiha had a child - that child would have both Byakugan and Sharingan in one of their eyes, respectively. While I don't remember when he actually said this, or if it was a simple joke, but I'm going to deal with bloodline/powerful clans mixing this way, the way I did in this chapter regarding Hagoromo/Kaguya clans.

**General Q&A:**

**Q: **_Will Naruto have Mokuton or some other bloodline?_

**A:** Not Mokuton, but he will have some other bloodline.

**Q: **_Will Naruto be placed with Team 10, or just not with Sasuke and Sakura?_

**A: **You will find out in the next chapter. I hope I'll have a good reason for the placement I'm having.

**Q: **_Pairings?_

**A:** To be honest. I have no idea how to write romance or anything. I'm still a noob writer, so anything I write "romantic" will look probably lame. Although, for the few girls that were suggested, I can tell that I have some interesting plans. Particularly, Karin and Tayuya.

I was never the most avid fan of harems. Like polygamy? I won't have that here, as much as the concept itself in real life is appealing. But, as I said previously, occasional flirt might/probably will happen. Naruto in the end will have a busty woman to make dozens of children with and revive his clan.

I'm tempted to go with Samui, age-gap aspect, and village relations included, but I'm not sure how to make it happen. In any case, I'll introduce her early on to make sure I have a backup **if** I decide to go with her as a pairing option. Another girl I would like to try to have a partner is Shizuka. I have a soft spot for fillers.

**Q: **_Will Naruto get OP?_

**A:** If I recall correctly. In the manga, it was mentioned a few times that Sasuke is chūnin level at 12, all while still being a genin. As Naruto will have vastly better training here, he will of course be better than some of his senior's colleagues. But not yet at the par with Kakashi. Who graduated at the age of 5 and became chūnin at 6. And Jōnin at 12. So yeah, while I doubt Kakashi was as strong as other Jounins at the time like Minato, Jiraiya, or Fugaku, he was strong enough to become one. A similar thing will happen to Naruto. He will be far better than his peers and will advance quickly in his career, but won't be suddenly like Jiraiya or Kakashi in this case, even if he'll have a vast repertoire of techniques.

While I aim for him to have a knowledge of powerful techniques when he graduates, he will still need experience in the field to utilize existing knowledge. Further maturing is important here, as I have something different in plan for everyone's favorite Arc that will influence him.

Shadow Clone training will help him, but I personally believe that hundreds of shadow clones training can do more harm than good. You have to sort out all the memories. It is also not sure that every clone will learn everything **correctly**. That is when it comes to practical training. Naruto will use 10 shadow clones for that stuff to have easier sorting out of memories and better mastery of his techniques. That is not to say it won't be used for theoretical parts as those are different from muscle and chakra manipulation memory.

**Q: **_Hiraishin Naruto?_

**A: **Of course! But it'll take a while. :)

To **Time Parad0x**

First, thank you for your comment. Regarding Kosuke, he came to my mind as a caretaker after rewatching fillers and it pleased me to see how he regarded Naruto, as well as his overall persona. While I didn't show much of his training with Naruto now, I hope that I will in the next chapter and future 'flashbacks' for different situations. He will also be present after Naruto graduates, but that is for the latter.

Regarding Danzō. He knows not to push his luck with Hiruzen, so he won't touch Naruto, but in the mind of Sarutobi, he is a threat to Naruto's development. As Kosuke is Genin officially, while having skills of Jōnin, he is respected by Konoha's forces as we could see from Hayama. No one will try to play the rank on him, even if there is such a possibility. While I didn't plan for anything such as that to happen in this story. I'll go with "a special orders from Hokage-sama." type of answer with order written in the scroll as proof. I don't think anyone will try to pull the chain of command to their favor that will contradict the orders from Hokage himself.

As for the Uzumaki's, I saw that concept a few times. It is a good reason, but still connects Naruto to Minato and Kushina. No doubt outside villages knew of their relationship.

12.000 words for this chapter. Maybe my plan for 8.000 is just that? A plan. Anyhow, I have the next chapter _almost_ written. All I need to do is: correct grammar mistakes, improve some dialogue, and upload it. I guess? It will be ready in 5-6 days at most.

Next time there will be a scene between other tagged characters and Naruto together. I hope to have some familial moment with training as camping outside before graduation that will also come in the next chapter.

~HyperboreanRealist


	3. And now it begins

**Chapter 3:** And now it begins.

* * *

**Forests outside of Konoha, 8th March, Naruto: age 12**

Calmly drawing his bow, Naruto concentrated on his target at hand. A rather large wild boar to be more precise. Target was around fifty feet away from him. Soon, the boar noticed him and turned towards him, preparing to attack.

But that was all Naruto needed. As the boar turned towards him, so did his head at the front, exposing his weak point - the eyes. Naruto let loose of his arrow, enhanced with chakra and it hit the boar straight in the eye, instantly killing him.

He approached the downed animal and waited for a moment that the remaining life leave it. As he waited for the process to finish, Naruto focused on his sensory abilities to pinpoint if the boar was sick previously. As an omnivore type, the wild boar could very well eat anything his mouth could devour.

_Healthy._ Naruto concluded, after which he proceeded to unseal his equipment for meat preparation. As he sat down his equipment, in the distance three men stood, watching quietly as Naruto did his work.

"You thought him well, Kosuke." Hiruzen complimented. "He knows how to act in the wilderness, with nothing but his ability to hunt as a primary tool. It will use him one day, that's for sure."

"He uses his sensory skills for something like this. I'm amazed. If I ever take him for a training trip, I'll make sure he's the one hunting our meal." Jiraiya commented with a smirk on his face.

"You honor me, Hiruzen, Jiraiya-kun." Kosuke said. "But all I did was point Naruto-kun in the right direction. Just like with his shinobi training."

"You are being too humble, old friend. Naruto-kun would not be the person he is today if you didn't guide him." Hiruzen told him. "He became good shinobi, but more importantly, he became a good man." He smiled.

"We'll fully test him later on. Let's go and see how he's doing." Jiraiya suggested.

* * *

**===With Naruto===**

Skinning and cleaning the boar was not a pleasant task, but it was a fulfilling one. Meat was delicious, especially grilled. The boar this big and will no doubt taste great once he was prepared.

While he was slicing the – now shaved skin – of the boar, one of his other clones was preparing the fire. Another one was helping him and the last one was storing the separated meat for later use. If he periodically ate this, it could last him for nearly one year. He hunted wild boars before, but they were much smaller than this one.

"Something smell really delicious here." Voice of his godfather trailed in the distance.

"You could at least help, it would be ready much faster." Naruto pretended to be annoyed. The division of labor was a key to a successful economy. Preparing a dinner from a beast this large was no exception.

"Not a chance." Jiraiya said. "This is part of your test after all. What kind of tutors we would be if we helped you now?"

"No need to act all smart with me, uncle Jiraiya. I know it's a test." Said the smirking Naruto.

In the meantime, Jiraiya just pouted, while Hiruzen and Kosuke watched in amusement. For all his serious attitude, Naruto was more relaxed with them, especially Jiraiya.

"As Jiraiya said, we will test all that you have learned until now, Naruto-kun. But first, let's eat." Hiruzen said.

As they ate, four men talked about various things, from their battles and missions during the three wars, to even Jiraiya's books. Hiruzen and Jiraiya at least did. During that time, Naruto's clones stored the remaining meat to his scrolls, while the four men held grilled meat at the skewer a top of the campfire.

"Naruto." Jiraiya said with a serious expression.

From his seat at the log near the fire, Naruto looked up, still holding the skewer with grilled meat he was about to eat. "What is it, uncle?" It was not like Jiraiya to suddenly turn serious from such a carefree situation. Naruto didn't sense anyone else nearby, so the attack was not a possibility.

"As you know, as Konoha's jinchūriki your status should have been a secret until someone rattled it up to the general populace." Jiraiya began. Naruto simply nodded. He was told that before, even the potential suspects by the Sandaime.

"When the villagers found out, sensei did everything in his power to stop the information from leaking out to the other nations. But as there were some merchants from the outside during that time in the village, probably well-hidden spies, too. There is a high possibility that the other villages know about you."

Naruto grunted in affirmation and Jiraiya continued, while the other two men listened in silence, both having serious expressions on their faces. "As there is a possibility that they know about it, there is also a probability that some dangerous missing-nins know about it too. I'm talking about the Akatsuki organization composed of 10 S-rank missing-nins."

"Since you mentioned them, I'm probably one of their targets, right?"

"Indeed." Jiraiya nodded. "They won't start collecting tailed beasts for some time, maybe even years before they do. I don't know what they plan to do with them or how do they plan to keep them in their control... But if you ever meet someone wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it, during your missions – run!"

Naruto was silent for a moment, before nodding. It was strange seeing his godfather this serious, but if he was worried, then he should be too. "Do you know any of their members?"

"Two of them. They usually work in pairs of two. The only one I know of, however, are the Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi. They are paired together."

Naruto widened his eyes. He had heard some stories about the Monster of the Hidden Mist, but to this day he never would have thought he would be partnered with the Konoha's infamous 'Clan Killer' Itachi Uchiha. The more he thought about it, the more dread arose within him. If the two of them were paired, then there is a possibility that he would be their target. Itachi was a former ANBU and he knew Konoha's defenses, maybe even to bypass them.

"Do you know any of the other members? Surely there are some indications of who could join them." Naruto queried.

"Unfortunately no." Jiraiya replied with a frown. That was one of the more considerable recent problems for him. While Itachi reported that Kisame was paired up with him and of their task of currently only _tracking_ down jinchūriki's – there was nothing more. Aside from the fact that they are still a few years behind their original goal and won't start hunting them for the time being. It was infuriating, as now he didn't know if Itachi could be _trusted_ completely. For all his talk about being loyal to Konoha, a lack of more important information was _suspicious_.

It could be that he cooled off after the massacre and started regretting his decision to ally with Konoha over his own clan and family. Killing off his clansmen, including children was no easy task. _Easy task?_ Jiraiya thought bitterly. While he didn't like the Uchiha's all that much, he respected many of them. That was one of the reasons why no-one would suspect Itachi of being a double agent. Maybe he was getting too paranoid.

But still. The lack of information's regarding the other members or at least the leader's village of origin was irksome. He would need to contract Itachi again. _Soon_.

"I'll try to find out more about them in the following months." Jiraiya promised. And he would deliver it. This wasn't just to protect Minato's only son. But it was for the safety of Konoha and the entire world. There was a _familiar_ sense of dread of who could be the leader of the Akatsuki. But for the world of it, Jiraiya couldn't put where that feeling came from.

"Okay. By the way, who is going to test me?" Naruto asked. This was one of the reasons why the old man wanted to have this 'picnic'.

At this, Jiraiya stood up smiling and pointing his thumb at himself. But before he could say anything, Sarutobi interrupted him. "That would be me."

"You, old man? You're joking, right?" Naruto asked surprised. And judging from Jiraiya's and Kosuke's expression, they didn't expect this either.

"Yeah, what's the deal, sensei? I thought I would be the one to do it." Jiraiya questioned.

"I don't remember saying that. Besides. This is a nice opportunity to test this new generation myself. It is up to Naruto and his peers to carry on the Will of Fire one day after all." Said the smiling Hiruzen.

"Very well then." Naruto conceded. Hiruzen nodded and took off his Hokage's robes, revealing his battle armor. "I thought this was a simple test, not a battle to defend the village, old man?"

"You can never be sure when the war will erupt, or when the village will be endangered. It is the duty of the Hokage to always be prepared." Sarutobi said.

"Indeed." Replied Naruto, unsealing some of his shinobi gear from one of his scrolls in the meantime. One katana and pair of fingerless, chakra channeling gloves. With them, his hits would be more damaging if he managed to land them.

Sarutobi in turn summoned his personal summon. Monkey King: Enma.

"A summon? Isn't that an overkill for a simple test?" Naruto asked. "You don't want me to summon Gamabunta, do you?"

"Hah," Hiruzen exclaimed. "Feel free to do so, although, I don't know if the chief of Toads would appreciate it."

"You got me there."

In the distance, Jiraiya and Kosuke stood looking at the clearing where Naruto and Sarutobi stood opposite of each other. "He could summon some other toad, if not Gamabunta. He doesn't want to hold back at all it seems. And from the looks of it, the old man doesn't want to either."

Kosuke nodded. "It looks like they will start with the simple weapon's spar. It has been a long time since Hiruzen summoned Enma. Is it not?"

"Indeed. Last time it was when Orochimaru fled the village." Jiraiya said, his mood turning sour at the memory of his rouge teammate, but he quickly pushed thought aside. This was not the moment to sulk and brood. Not everyone gets an opportunity to be tested by the current God of Shinobi.

"How do you think Naruto will fare with sensei in weapon's combat, Kosuke?"

"Hard to tell, if I'm being honest with you, Jiraiya-kun." Kosuke began seriously. "I know Naruto-kun is very proficient in kenjutsu. But it all depends if Hiruzen is holding back or if he ever stopped practicing with his Bō staff."

"In any case, we'll see for ourselves now. I can't remember when was the last time I saw sensei in combat. This will be great to watch. I just hope he goes easy on the kid in ninjutsu."

"Ho-ho." Kosuke laughed. "You underestimate Naruto-kun there. You don't have much faith in our students? Do you, Jiraiya-kun?"

"Oh, I have enough faith in him, alright." Jiraiya smirked. "Still. I shudder when I remember how sensei used to test my team when I was younger."

"We'll find out soon if Hiruzen has lost his touch or not."

In the meantime at the clearing separated from each other by twenty meters. Naruto and Sarutobi stared at each other. Hiruzen already had Enma transformed into his Adamantine staff form, while Naruto stood in his place, katana in his right hand, resting its steel on his left, positioned just above his face.

"Since this is but a simple test, we are going by different fields, right? Not a full-out fight?" _In which I would probably be cramped over. _Old man didn't get his position for nepotism or anything else. He deserved his position and has proven to be a great leader and a shinobi. His reputation was probably one of the reasons why Konoha survived for so long after the Nine-tails attack and in turn not being attacked by the other villages. Hyūga affair being the only exception due to the Raikage's greed.

"Indeed. I want to test every field you studied. You'll soon find why I'm called _The Professor_ in addition to the God of Shinobi, my boy." Hiruzen said.

"Bring it on, _old man_, just don't break a hip or spine." Naruto taunted, smirking in the process.

"Picking on the elderly, huh?" Sarutobi replied. "Let's show him why our generation shouldn't be underestimated, Enma."

_If only you were this enthusiastic when you cornered Orochimaru._ Enma thought. _No point in sulking now. I want to see how much did Minato's boy grew up. _"Let's go then."

For a moment they were silent and unmoving, that is until Sarutobi decided to go first. "The elderly take precedence as they say." He attacked Naruto with his adamantine staff, causing the Senju to take a completely defensive position.

_He really doesn't hold back._

Slamming his staff towards Naruto's head, for a moment Sarutobi was afraid that he went too far. That is, until Naruto's sword appeared above his head, blocking the staff. Naruto held the hilt of his sword in his right hand, while his left one was pushing the edge of the steel by the end, upwards, giving him the balance needed to block the attack.

Seeing this, Sarutobi slide his staff down, crouched, and went to attack Naruto's legs. Fortunately for Naruto, he saw this and jumped, evading the attack.

"You are good at blocking the attacks, Naruto-kun. But let me see some of your own skills. It has been a long time since I saw Tobirama-sensei's kenjutsu style and I know you are proficient in it."

Naruto grunted and went for an assault. Just like he was adept at defense with a sword, so was the old man with his staff. Attack went for a minute or so until Sandaime smiled and went for his own attack. _He is good. Dare I say, in a few years he will be without a competition. All he needs is experience and height. _Hiruzen thought amused.

In the end, Sarutobi managed to kick the sword out of Naruto's hand, positioning his Bō staff under his chin.

Naruto smiled. "I see now why they call you The Professor."

"And I can see why Kosuke and Jiraiya say you are a prodigy with no match in your generation." Sarutobi complimented. "Let us go with ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu at the same time for the next test. I want to see you go all out on me."

"With pleasure."

And so they began. First with taijutsu, where even with his amazing speed, Sarutobi was able to counter Naruto's hits. But at the same time, he found it hard to land stronger strikes on him.

"Maybe we should include resistance seals into the Academy's curriculum from now on. Don't you think?" Naruto asked.

"Indeed we should." _That is if children don't quit the Academy after the first week with such training._

_First with ninjutsu. _Naruto thought as he went through the few hand seals and exclaimed. "Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullet**.**" Inhaling the air into his stomach then pounding it and sending the cannon-like air towards Hiruzen who evaded it. It was followed by the three additional attacks which Hiruzen managed to evade as well. Attacks themselves ended up hitting the small rock hill behind the Sandaime causing the small crack holes to appear in it.

Hiruzen didn't waste his time waiting for Naruto to attack again. So he went through his own hand seals, exhaling "Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet**.**"

His dragon made of fire flew quickly towards Naruto and for a moment, Sarutobi was again afraid that he went too far. That is, until he saw the defensive barrier of water surrounding Naruto._ Just like Tobirama-sensei._ Hiruzen thought nostalgically.

Naruto made one shadow clone after the fire attack while Hiruzen went for another taijutsu attack until darkness started surrounding him. _Sensei's infinite darkness genjutsu._(1)

"Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique." Naruto's clone muttered as he made a tiger seal. Naruto himself went for an attack himself while the clone stood at his place.

It was much easier to hit the old man now as he couldn't see anything. Infinite darkness was hard even for the Uchiha's to escape from. But there was a slight downside of the jutsu. Enemy, if trained well enough, could sense the attacks coming at him. As the Sandaime did just now.

He managed to land few minor hits enhanced with his chakra on Naruto, but the darkness still remained. _So he left a clone in charge of maintaining the darkness, while he himself went for the attack._ Hiruzen concluded. _Smart move._

He then charged and attacked the clone, dispelling him and the darkness around him.

"Guess you figured it out, how to break off from the illusion?" Naruto asked.

"You have vast knowledge, my boy. But the knowledge itself is only a puddle without the experience to back it up. You will learn that in time."

After that, they went to the spar for another fifteen minutes. Before long, the Sandaime placed his kunai under Naruto's neck, smiling and saying. "I win."

Naruto could help but grin. The spar was amazing and he conceded defeat.

* * *

They sat near the fire once more after the fight. Hiruzen wanted to give his own reassessment of Naruto's skills.

"I must say that I'm not only impressed, but also proud of you as well, Naruto-kun." Sarutobi said.

Naruto could help but feel proud too. He was many times complimented, even grudgingly by some of his peers or some Academy's teachers. But this was different. He supposed this was a feeling when a grandfather was proud of his grandson. It was just like when Kosuke complimented him for mastering his affinities, or when Jiraiya praised him for his advancement in fūinjutsu. _It's a good feeling_.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"Suddenly getting formal? No need to do that, my boy. This won't go to your record or anything." Sarutobi said.

"So what is your final grade, old man?" This time it was Jiraiya who approached them with Kosuke beside him, who asked the question. Impatient to know what his sensei would say about his godson's skills. From what he saw from the hill with Kosuke. Naruto could easily advance to the rank of Tokubetsu Jōnin. Granted, he didn't have the experience necessary. But still. If Itachi was in the ANBU at this time and Kakashi himself a jōnin in his own right, there weren't many obstacles for Naruto to advance easily and become one.

"I know what you all are thinking." Sarutobi began. "You really are skilled Naruto-kun. But you will need experience if you want to advance quickly through the ranks. Your skills in kenjutsu are easily near the Jōnin level. And your mastery of the Wind and Water element is something I haven't seen in a long time. You've been spending much time in your library..."

"And you don't hold back any punches, gramps. Your skill in bōjutsu would have left me with months-long bruises had I didn't have the Nine-tails to heal me." Naruto added, rubbing his arms and tights in the process. While the damage itself was not very dangerous and with the fox healing him would heal him completely in a day. There was no doubt about the old man's skills as the muscles were still sore.

"Well, thank you Naruto-kun." Hiruzen replied. "And just like Minato and Tobirama-sensei, I can see you are going to be a devil at speed. And with the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique**,** I won't have to worry about your lack of skills in that regard. By the way. How many genjutsu's do you know?"

"Seven in total." Naruto said. "The Bringer-of-Darkness is the strongest genjutsu I know. I have one more A-rank and the other five are B-rank. Lower than that is borderline impossible for me to use, just like the clone jutsu." Genjutsu's in general wasted little of chakra. That's why they were one of the favorite tools for the Uchiha and Kurama clan. _And the favorite tool for women._

Sarutobi nodded with a serious expression on his face. With the amount of chakra Naruto had it would be hard for him to use the low-ranked techniques as they required too little of chakra. And while he could see that Naruto had very good chakra control, it was still impossible. How would Naruto develop had that incident at the playground never happened? Sarutobi shuddered at the thought. It could have been his biggest shame if he left Naruto to grow by himself, without an adult figure in his life. Thought that he initially considered doing that brought a great sense of shame to him. Even with all the hardships he endured, Naruto never went towards the path of darkness, becoming a good shinobi and an even better man in the process. That was something he wanted Kosuke to do when he assigned Naruto to his care and was glad his old friend accomplished his task without downsides.

"I must also thank you, Kosuke. You really did a great job in being Naruto-kun's caretaker."

The eternal genin who was silent thought the conversation smiled and gave something of his famous humbleness. "Thank you for your praise, Sandaime-sama. But I did nothing aside from giving few pointers here and there. All his skills are directly coming from his own hard work and family's legacy."

The three other men sighted. Kosuke was infamous for his humble attitude. "As ages go by, you still remain the same, my old friend." Sarutobi said with a smile. "Sometimes I wish more people would have been that way..." Memory of his prodigious student appeared before him, but just as fast it disappeared.

"You shouldn't beat yourself over _that_, sensei." Jiraiya added. "I certainly don't... Anyhow, let us not jump from the subject."

"Right. As I said, your mastery of your affinities is nothing but amazing. And your use of them during the battle is at its place. With all your skills at where they are, I would say you will quickly advance throughout the ranks. It should be within the year. After all, in agreement with our allies of Sunagakure and few other minor villages, Chūnin Exams will be held in Konoha in about six months after you graduate. So we won't have to risk exposing your identity in a potentially hostile environment."

"Now, regarding your teammates..." Sarutobi trailed off, lighting his pipe in the process. "I'm placing you under Kakashi. He told me long ago he wanted to be your Jōnin-sensei once you graduate, but as you're going to be the rookie of the year, I was going to place you under his jurisdiction in any case."

Naruto nodded. He already knew Kakashi. He was a student of his father back in the day. While he usually showed a lazy attitude towards his surroundings, he was interested in teaching him. Helping him with Rasengan training. Particularly when Kosuke was away on one of his border-inspection missions.

"Who are my other teammates?" Naruto asked in the meantime.

Hiruzen was silent for a moment before answering. "Uchiha Sasuke is one of them."

Naruto simply stared at Sandaime, as did Jiraiya and Kosuke. "Are you sure that's wise, sensei?" Jiraiya questioned. "From what you told me he is unsociable as it can get, even for the Uchiha standards. And as Itachi is in the organization that is hunting Naruto, there is a chance they cross their paths..."

"I had no other choice but to place him under Kakashi, Jiraiya. Sasuke-kun has the potential to awaken his Sharingan and Kakashi would have to teach him anyway. There is no one else."

"If he awakens it. Many Uchiha's did not." Jiraiya retorted. "But I guess it won't change your mind. Right, sensei?"

"It is also for another purpose." At this, the three men looked up towards him. "Naruto-kun, I mean no offense, but it is also for your temporary safety. While I know you are strong, it is because of your status. Being Konoha's jinchūriki, it is up to Kakashi to calm you with his Sharingan if you start losing control of the Nine-tails. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded calmly.

"That will only last while you are genin as I have no intention of having Kakashi babysit you all the time. Aside from getting the experience on these missions with your team. You will also need to learn how to cope with the real-life of shinobi. I know you already drank every book about emotions that Tobirama-sensei wrote, but the theory is different from action."

Again, Naruto nodded in understanding. "It is no problem. Although, I have never spoken to the fox, and quite frankly I have no intention of doing so. I was thinking of going with it like my mother and Mito-sama did."

"Maybe you could, but then again, the seal Minato designed was there in order to help you to control the foxes power if ever need be." Jiraiya added his two cents. "Seal on your stomach helps expand your already large chakra reserves. And it will only continue growing. It might be prudent that you learn to control at least some of its powers. Especially to help you against the Akatsuki if they corner you."

"I'd rather not... But I see your point, uncle." Naruto conceded.

"And who is to be my other teammate? It has to be a kunoichi, right?"

"Correct." Sarutobi said. "I originally thought about placing Yamanaka Ino with you, but I'd rather not break off traditional Ino-Shika-Cho trio."

"Shikamaru told me once he was going to be placed on the same team with her and Chōji. He couldn't help but complain it would be troublesome to have a Sasuke's fangirl to nag him all the time." He snorted in the end.

"Typical Nara I guess." Hiruzen mused. "My other option was the Hyūga heiress, Hinata. She had the second-highest practical score after Ino. But there's a slight problem there..." He trailed off.

"You mean the fact she's deadly afraid of me?" Naruto blankly stated. While the rest of his classmates got used to his presence even with all the gossip that ran around the village, Hinata was still frightened of him. For reasons completely unknown to Naruto, but he could _guess_.

"I spoke with her father, Hiashi, and he confined me with some informations regarding her attitude towards you."

"It seems that the young Hinata was witness to the incident at the playground, and quite frankly, it traumatized her of your presence."

"Does Hiashi blame me for her timid behavior?" Naruto asked. It would be really _troublesome _if he got on the wrong foot with other clans, especially clan heads.

"No, that is a completely different manner of problem within the Hyūga clan itself." Hiruzen answered him. "I decided to go with Haruno Sakura, the third _strongest_ kunoichi of your class."

"Strongest is the generous word, old man." Naruto said. "Sakura is a smart girl and her theoretical results are always at the top beside mine and Sasuke's, yes. But she is rather weak in the physical department."

"Indeed. Your homeroom teacher, Sadoru-chan told me of this strange phenomenon among the young post-war kunoichis. Many of them get star-struck by the most 'popular' boy in their class. The one who usually comes from the great clan backround. Strangely enough, your class had rather high scores from the boys, much better than the other classes and years." Sarutobi rubbed his chin as he said the last part.

"That is because of the Sadoru-sensei." Naruto answered him. "Every one of my classmates, including Shikamaru, loved getting a pat on the head and friendly smile from her, whenever they would do something right or correct."

At this Jiraiya raised his eyebrows and whistled. "Oh, are you suggesting we should place a female kunoichis in charge of every future class from now on? I never took you for a pervert, Naruto."

"I'm not like you, Ero-sennin." Naruto deadpanned. "But as you mentioned, maybe we should. I could even see Sasuke sometimes getting more relaxed when he got praise from Sadoru-sensei..."

"See. What did I tell you, old man? We should definitely go with that rout-" Jiraiya would have continued rambling about his perverted dreams, had Sarutobi didn't smack him on the back of his head.

"We can talk about that some other time, Jiraiya. This is more important." Hiruzen scolded as Jiraiya pouted.

"As I was saying, the quality of the new kunoichis has drastically decreased in the years after the Third Shinobi World War." Sarutobi said. "For that, I don't have much option of giving you this placement and I have to look to somehow balance out the rest of the teams. While you and Sasuke-kun are exceptional in both physical and theoretical departments, Sakura-chan is only in theoretical. It should balance out the teams and prevent the wider circles of shinobi populace to be discontent with this decision."

"I understand, old man." Naruto affirmed. "But is there something more with this? I figure you wouldn't simply tell me this in order for me to know about my team before everyone else."

"Indeed there is more to this, Naruto-kun." Hiruzen nodded. "I personally selected this team as part of Kakashi's assignment, as well as your first long-term mission."

"I'm listening."

"Uchiha Sasuke is _a flight risk_." Sarutobi bluntly stated. "He has no close connections to anyone in the village and I'm afraid he would try to leave the first chance he gets, if he doesn't get enough training and feels we are somehow holding him back from his quest of killing Itachi – there is a high possibility he leaves the village. And I hope I don't have to tell you how much it would hurt the prestige of Konoha if that happens. It deteriorated with the time when much of your clansmen died in the wars, culminating with Minato's death during the Kyūbi's attack. But even still, we survived by some sort of miracle." He finished gravely.

Naruto was silent for a moment, contemplating what the old man told him. While he wasn't a friend with Sasuke, or even a close acquaintance, he did respect him for what he went through. Even if his father revealed the _story of the playground_. He would pass by his prejudice for the sake of the village. _And Sasuke is not at fault for the sins of his father._

"I accept this mission, Hokage-sama." Naruto said formally.

Sarutobi smiled, as did the other two men. "But I'm not sure how am I supposed to help here exactly. You don't expect me to train him, right?"

"No, of course not. Your task will be more as a temporary goal that Sasuke needs to surpass in his mind. I refrained from giving him a personal tutor because I wanted to give him space to mourn his family for a time and hopefully create new bonds with the village. Training him early would only make him more detached as he would not have anything in the village holding him to it."

"Sasuke needs to see that he can be both loyal shinobi of Konoha and strong at the same time. That's where you come to the picture. In Sasuke's and in the eyes of most people, you are but a simple orphan, ignoring your other _attributes_. Do you understand what I need you to do, Naruto-kun?"

"You want me to become an inspiration for Sasuke to remain loyal to the village. By presenting myself as a clanless orphan who is stronger than him, he can see that we won't hold him back. Although, I don't think it is up to me or Kakashi to make him loyal to the village, but up to himself. If he leaves then it won't be anyone's fault but his."

"I do know that, Naruto-kun. And for that reason, this won't go to your file as an official mission." Sarutobi told him a bit too gladly. Naruto nodded in appreciation anyway. "However. But because of that, you won't be getting paid either. It's only fair to do so, isn't it?"

"I guess." Naruto muttered. _Figures he would do that_. "I only hope Sakura becomes serious with her training, although from what I see, I might need to jump in there and make her serious."

It was true. He might need to do it. However, _how to actually do it _was a question to be answered for another time. Kosuke on the other hand, had an answer right away.

"You must not become too proud, greedy, and angry when you deal with this mission once you graduate, Naruto-kun." His surrogate uncle told him seriously. "It is true that you may face hardships when making your teammates go with your flow. But remember that patience is one of shinobis greatest virtues. Becoming too proud of your abilities, discarding your comrades will only be your undoing. Never forget that." Kosuke sad a bit mournfully.

His words were true in any case. Kosuke had to learn that lesson the hard way. Becoming too _proud_ of his abilities and being sure he would be promoted to chūnin combined with the _greed_ of a young mind coming from a non-clan backround, wanting to prove himself equal to the clan-born shinobis – in the end, caused his comrades to die because of it. And that resulted in _anger_ at himself for his pride and greed compelling him to go almost suicidal for the sake of his other comrades of Konoha.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't be proud of yourself and your accomplishments. But don't let it go over your head." Kosuke finished. Tobirama was known as a proud man and it never held him back. More so, it made him an even greater shinobi.

_Pride and greed were in combination worse for a ninja to have__ – __than an ocean of emotions._

"I understand, uncle. I will do as you say."

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, The Academy, April 1st 09:00 AM**

Naruto sat on his usual seat in the classroom as the room filled in with potential future genins. Uncle Jiraiya left the village last week, promising he would commission a new battle armor for him, in the Land of Iron. Naruto hoped it would be ready for the next chūnin exams. Old man said they would be held in Konoha six/seven months after he graduates. For now, Naruto was wearing a simple mesh grey shirt with bandages on his arms and black fingerless gloves that could channel chakra and strengthen his hits. And on top of it, black haori with white rope around his waist. The rest of his clothes consisted of dark blue flexible standard shinobi pants with bandages wrapped around his ankles and traditional shinobi sandals. On his forehead, he wore the Konoha's forehead protector with a long black cloth tied around his head (2). A nice contrast to his sun-kissed blonde hair. Sadoru-sensei said he looked handsome wearing it.

Naruto would miss Sadoru-sensei a lot. She never looked at him with contempt, even though she was slightly tense around him when everyone found out he killed three boys who bullied him. Old man probably explained everything to her as she was assigned to his class and there was never any problem with her.

As he waited for the team assignment, the classroom began to be filled with other genin hope-to-be. His future teammate, Sakura was engaged in constructive debate with Ino on the subject: 'Who does Sasuke-kun like more?'. _She will be handy._

Not soon after, Sadoru-sensei arrived and gave her speech on how they are no longer simple Academy students, but full-fledged ninjas of Konoha needing to take their duty towards their comrades and village seriously.

"Right, then let us begin with the team placements." Sensei announced as she began listing new teams and their team senseis, but Naruto already knew his.

Two hours later, they waited for their Jōnin-instructor to show up. The rest of the new genins had already left with their respective senseis, only team 7 remaining in the classroom.

"Where the hell is our sensei?" Sakura complained.

"He has a tendency of being a few hours late for most of his appointments." Naruto answered her.

"Huh? What kind of ninja is he, if he is so sloppy?"

"Unironically, one of the best the village has to offer." He bluntly told her.

Sakura was skeptical and Sasuke was even more. Being the person who knew why Kakashi was late propelled Naruto to tell them, at least bits and pieces. "I know him from before and he really is a great shinobi, so you don't need to worry about him being lame or anything. He has his own way of coping with the life he has and loses he has suffered." He finished with a sad look. His parents were among those Kakashi lost. Kakashi knew them better than Naruto and might even suffer more for it. Because even if they were his parents, Naruto never knew them, Kakashi however did.

"That still doesn't excuse him for making us wait this long." The Uchiha's avenger said this time, uttering those words with slight annoyance and turning his attention back towards a single dot on the wall in front of him, his hands folded in front of his mouth.

Naruto shrugged it off. No point in arguing there. Kakashi would hopefully change his ways. _Hopefully. _The man was very keen on teaching Naruto a few times he shadowed him over. At best, he would do the same with Sasuke and Sakura.

As they waited, the three genins indulged themselves with their own favorite free-time activities. Sasuke brooded, Sakura gushed over him and Naruto meditated. His chakra control constantly needed to be improved and kept in place. Meditation was a rather good way to help him do it.

All three of them were quiet in their own way, until surprisingly Sasuke broke the silence with a question directed towards Naruto. "How are you so strong?" He asked without looking at him, simply staring at one dot at the wall as he did for the past hour.

Sakura stopped daydreaming about Sasuke and looked towards Naruto with an unsure expression. Question was probably directed at him, she deduced.

Naruto opened his eyes but remained silent. "Many reasons." Was his answer.

"Many reasons?"

"Yes."

Naruto's blunt response forced Sasuke to turn around with an angry look. "You're obviously much better than me, or anyone else in this class and even the entire Academy. Yet, you only come from a civilian backround. I want to know-how. You know the shadow clone technique, yet you can't do a simple clone the rest of us are taught. How is that possible?" He hated to admit that, but for a long time, he has come to the realization that Naruto was far ahead of him. He needed to know why.

Naruto briefly considered what type of answer he should give to Sasuke. He didn't need to make an excuse, but for the time being his identity was supposed to be a secret. The fact he was with the last Uchiha in the same team was both ironic and dangerous.

_The last loyal Senju and the last loyal Uchiha. _

It really was ironic. Their two clans spent most of the Warring States era killing each other, creating this village in order to stop the endless circle of conflict and destruction of their families. Yet now, only two of them remained. And on the same team as well. _A recipe for disaster._

Depending on how the assignment Hokage gave him goes on - Naruto and Sasuke could lead to a new age of prosperity of both of their clans. Or they could lead the both of them on a path of destruction.

While not as prejudiced as his ancestor, Tobirama Senju. Naruto did hold the slight wariness of the clan. _The curse of hatred._

**==Flashback==**

_The ten-year-old Naruto sat in the secret room of his clan and read a book about the Uchiha clan and particularly, their Sharingan. While his great grandfather disliked Uchiha's for their clan's enmity. He could give a credit to their strength where it's due. Even grudgingly. His ancestor, however, hated the Sharingan, it's backround, the way it was needed to awaken it. The way Sharingan was awoken and his further manifestation was total opposite to everything Senju's stood for. He read the following part of their 'ability' section_

_**\- A Clan haunted by evil**_

_\- No clan feels the love deeper than the Uchiha clan does. For that reason, they feel a need to suppress it. Once an Uchiha knows about love, all his previous senses are forgotten. One could say that love Uchiha's bare, would go along the line with the love Senju's feel. But Uchiha's love is unbalanced. The greater the love they feel, the greater the possibility of it going out of control. When a person close to you dies, you feel a need to mourn. Some for a longer time, some for a shorter. You feel a need to prevent that from happening again if a person died violently. For Uchiha's result of that unbalanced love comes to fruition when that someone close to them dies. When they feel great agony over the loss of someone close, or just deep disappointment in themself – chakra in their brain get released, in turn, reacting to the optic nerves and changes the appearance in the person's eyes. A phenomenon called **Sharingan**. Eyes that reflect the heart. _(3)

**==End of the flashback==**

The old man said that Sasuke never showed any indications that he had awoken his Sharingan. He probably didn't, but for all intents and purposes, _he should have_.

"There are some things you don't know about me, Sasuke. And it will remain like that for the time being. That is all I will say to you." He finally answered him.

Sasuke was silent, but in the end, he accepted his answer and went back to his staring while Naruto went to his meditation, closing his eyes as he did. Atmosphere however remained a bit tense.

Sakura, curious as she was, decided to ask Naruto a question that bugged her for a long time. "Uhm, Naruto? May I ask you something... personal?"

At Naruto's raised eyebrow, Sakura proceeded to ask. "Is it true that you killed those three Academy students and why did you?" The question ended quickly, as it seemed Sakura wanted it out of her mouth.

"Yes." Was the only answer that came from Naruto.

Sakura blinked, while Sasuke snorted so uncharacteristically for him.

"Do you guys know something about the Genin test? My parents told me it exists after we graduate."(4) Sakura asked again.

"It's true. The key of the test is to see if we have teamwork and to see if we are eligible to actually become full-fledged shinobis of Konoha." Naruto told her.

"So only teamwork? But that sounds too easy. There has to be something more."

"It is only that. Any sort of test will probably try to force a disunity among us and see if we actually possess the _Will of Fire_. Basically, if we prove we do, we pass." Naruto answered and smiled as he sensed their sensei standing by the door for the duration of this conversation.

Soon after, Kakashi entered throughout the door and presented himself with one of his usual goofy eye-smiles. "Sorry I'm late. Got lost on the road of life."

Naruto smirked, Sasuke glared and Sakura was ready to explode.

"Meet me at the roof in five minutes. Don't be late."

_And now it begins._

* * *

**Author's note:**

(1)Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique was a genjutsu originally used by Hashirama Senju in the manga, while in the anime by Tobirama. Given the theme of the story I'm writing and seeing that some other stories attribute this technique to him as a creator, I'm going with that too. As well as _trying _to explain some aspects and benefits of the jutsu. Databooks said it was impossible for a target to escape. But every jutsu has its weakness. And the one I'm going with is the one that made the most sense in my head. While you could maintain the jutsu and fight at the same time, you do need to evade the attacks from the sensor type ninja in order to maintain it. Henceforth, Naruto used a clone, while he attacked. Not to mention I stumbled upon one post on /a/ some time ago which was very inspiring.

(2)I always wanted to write this, don't judge me. Anyhow. I don't have a picture to present how Naruto actually looks. Hopefully, my description will help the reader's imagination. It is also how I'm imagining Naruto looks on a daily basis in this story.

(3)Parts are taken from the manga. Chapter #619 to be more precise.

(4)Narutopedia says that Sakura's parents are ninjas. Maybe it applies only to the movies, but I'll go with that here.

And that would be it for the third chapter. Now I some good news and thoughts:

I also wanted to do something different from the standard Academy's roof introduction that is pretty much the same in most of the stories.

I'm also not sure if I should go with English or Japanese names for techniques. If the latter turns out too troublesome, I might go back and rewrite those parts in order to have continuity later on.

Now, this chapter wasn't as large as I wanted it to be, originally. I had to delete some scenes because they were either cringe or completely unnecessary. Bell test was not written at all and I'll probably just leave it in the backround. I have the plan in my head how to do it and it is much better than what I planned initially. If I did wrote the bell test it would turn out too much spread out and basically really pointless.

~ HyperboreanRealist


	4. A Deserter

**Chapter 4: **A Deserter.

* * *

**Note**: Fingerless gloves are canon and are more practical than normal gloves.

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, The Hokage's tower, Jōnin Meeting Hall: 1st April, 08:00 AM **

The Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen just finished announcing the placement for the new genin teams. Sitting on his throne-like chair with the symbol of the Will of Fire behind him, he looked towards the thirty-six Jōnin's that would take over the same number of teams this year. A hundred and eight Academy students passed their exams with only twelve failing. They might quit or just take another year in the Academy for the additional training. And from these thirty-six teams, some, once again, might return to the Academy for another year. There are always such cases.

In any case, he needed to make sure his Jōnin's knew of their duties regarding the new generation.

"As you now know of your _potential_ teams, I must also brief you with your _main_ duties regarding their training. You can implement your own style into it if you want, but. What you're going to read in those envelopes in front of you is a must-do, regardless of your own ways."

His Jōnin's, sitting on the floor in front of him, nodded in understanding, taking the envelopes in front of them and proceeding to read the contains.

As some of them continued reading it, Sarutobi decided to give another one of his advice. "As you all know, after the Uchiha clan's massacre, I, alongside with the both higher-ranked shinobi and the clan council, decided to implement some changes to the Academy's curriculum and the standard training of the shinobi forces that every active ninja of Konoha must abide by."

And they had. Both his Chūnin's and Jōnin's acted in accordance with his order. Jōnin-sensei's for the past three years, since this rule was passed – have upped the training of their students which resulted in better performance of the new Genins. While the title of Chūnin actually meant more than a simple promotion from being a simple journeyman ninja.

Now, the Academy students had to know more advanced chakra control exercises of tree and water walking, at the very least. It would save time during their Genin training. _Among other things_.

Sarutobi loathed that the Uchiha clan's massacre had a role in his wake-up call. But as they had lost a portion of their forces there, and given the reports from Jiraiya that Orochimaru was presumably building his own village. It was a necessity. Konohagakure had always prided itself in being in favor of quality over quantity in contrast to the Iwagakure's quantity and Kumo to an extent who favored the mix of both, resulting in the hybrid composition of the armed forces, depending on the time and the Raikage himself.

They had faced some defection from a small number of ninjas, who abandoned the village in pursuit of their own benefit. That had to stop.

Ignoring Orochimaru, cases like Mizuki or Rokushō Aoi were threatening to the development of the future generations. He used the veteran shinobis and those who had decided to retire previously for a special unit of the ANBU for cracking down the potential spies and traitors. It was a risky move. And he was getting paranoid as the time went on. But he needed to. Too many incidents happened for the past thirteen years for him to simply be laid-back. Even so, the rooster for the Academy's staff needed to be under surveillance, all the time. Those two were _instructors_ at the Academy, after all.

Genins now had to perform at least a minimum of the training regime required, one that he devised – during each day of the training. (1) The starting date of their first mission was also arranged. It was a tradition for the Hokage to wish the new youth a bit of good luck, after all. And it would ease his schedule a bit.

Genins, for the higher-ranked missions, had to perform various types of lower-ranked missions before they could be even signed-in for the Chūnin selection exams by their respective senseis or be promoted on the field if they were ready for it. In any case, they had to have the experience of understanding how border patrolling works. Something he had to arrange with the kunoichi village of Nadeshiko from the Land of Tea. It wouldn't do well for Konoha to get another one of their _traditional_ international incidents or disputes. Wars have been started for less.

So the kunoichis from Nadeshiko would know that Konoha means to have no military drills on their borders. And in turn, they would not try to snatch some of their young virgin Genins and their senseis for their seed. He couldn't forbid them to _interact_ in-between them. How he wished he was young again.

Genins would also need to know how escort missions are performed, delivery, interrogation, tracking, etc. All those things they would have to learn - the experience on the field would help them advance further. And help them stay alive.

_Quality over quantity._

Turning his attention back to his Jōnin's, he addressed them once more. "Bear in mind that I will have someone report to me the progress of your students, so it would be in your best interest that you do not slack with their training and further education. Or even your own, for that matter." He warned them.

"We have been dealt with many blows for the past decade and more. I don't want the village and it's future to suffer because of it."

His Jōnin's nodded, with one of them raising their hands, wanting to ask the Hokage something.

"Iroha-kun." Sarutobi said, granting the Jōnin opportunity to speak.

"Hokage-sama." The Hyūga Jōnin in question bowed slightly, proceeding to ask his question. "Is there any particular reason why there was a so imbalanced team placement like this year? I'm referring to the Team 7, under Jōnin-sensei, Hatake Kakashi."

Kakashi for his part, turned his attention from his orange book and looked towards his Hokage, while the other Jōnin's in-room started whispering among each other. All of them wondering the same.

"That is classified, but I personally arranged the Team 7 for this year. So it will remain as one." The Hokage answered.

Shiranui Genma raised his hand this time, exclaiming his own curiosity after getting the permission from the Hokage. "Considering the new arrangements for the Genin training, Hokage-sama – are the teamwork tests to remain the same, or are we supposed to upgrade the difficulty?"

The Sandaime nodded in negative. "The tests, as you see them fit, are better if they remain the same. We have probably lost some good potential in the past because we sought to focus on the teamwork from our genins-to-be, without introducing them with the importance of the concept itself, while in the Academy. Because of that, we have placed a bigger focus on that subject before their graduation."

In the past, they wanted selectively to pass their students. Only those who figured out the meaning of their tests would pass. Now on the other hand, by molding into the young minds both the necessity and the positive sides of teamwork – they would pass with a better performance than they would three years ago. Previously, those who passed their Jōnin-sensei's tests on the second time were the prime material for becoming the missing-nins. Bitterness, anger, and shame all played their parts in corrupting their psyche. By ensuring they were familiar with the concept of teamwork early on, new shinobis would figure out the meaning of the test right away. _For the most part_. Working together – they would pass. And when they pass – they would always remember that it was the teamwork who got them there. There was a low-key chance for them to turn rogue. With this new module, they got better shinobis in training and more shinobis in numbers, in turn.

"If that is all, I believe you have your future students to meet soon. I wish you all the best of luck." The Sandaime finished with a smile, getting the chorus of, 'Yes, Hokage-sama.' as he did.

* * *

**With Kakashi**

Hatake Kakashi walked towards his destination – The Konoha's Shinobi Academy. After Sandaime's briefing and spending two hours at the memorial stone in memory of his deceased teammates, he decided that it was time to go. As he walked at a slow pace, he didn't even pick up his book to read. Contemplating how he would train his team. He had no doubts they would pass. With Naruto on the team, it was expected. _But._ His team also consisted of a self-centered avenger and an avenger's fangirl.

Orders from the Hokage were clear though. He was to be Sasuke's _watcher_ and in turn, he had to make sure that the last loyal Uchiha stayed loyal to the village. The Sandaime told him that Naruto also knew of his missions, so he would get some help there.

If he was honest with himself, Kakashi didn't know what to do with Sasuke. With Naruto, all he had to prepare his mental state for the more advanced missions once he was promoted. _It'll be fast. _Minato-sensei's son was a prodigy, in a similar fashion to him and _Itachi. _Kakashi didn't know why he compared the sensei's son to one of Konoha's most infamous traitors. He knew Naruto for some time, and despite what he went through – he would remain loyal to the village. It was his home after all. And in addition to that, he had few bonds within the village. The chance of him fleeing were slim if nonexistent. But he had to be on alarm for his mental state now. Kosuke did a good job. And inclusion of Jiraiya, all the initial suspicions flew away. It was a total opposite to his other teammate.

Sasuke. _Sasuke is a problem_. It was no secret to the shinobi population that the Uchiha clan as a whole liked keeping it to themself, regarding _anything_. Few exceptions existed of course. But even they were in a minority in the entire clan.

_A curse of hatred. _Minato-sensei once mentioned. Regarding his teammate Obito as an exception to such curse and completely opposite of the general conduct of the said clan. Obito was the towering example of the Will of Fire in Kakashi's opinion. His unfortunate death established his esteem within Kakashi.

Kakashi sighed as he stood in front of the door to the classroom his future team was currently in. Hearing Sakura questioning her teammates about the genin test – he didn't fight back the smile that was creeping on his face.

_I'll do this the right way. Obito, Rin, Minato-sensei._

He decided that they waited enough. Opening the door, he walked inside, presenting himself with his usual goofy eye-smile and lame excuse he always had. "Sorry I'm late. Got lost on the road of life."

He could see the Sasuke glaring, Sakura being ready to explode. _She'll be handy. _And Naruto simply smirked. He knew about his coping mechanism at least. He would need to find another. Maybe it was time to let go of the past and resentment of it. He needed to live by Obito's legacy.

"Meet me at the roof in five minutes. Don't be late."

_I'll do this the right way from now on. Three of them are the future._

* * *

**In the Capital City of the Land of Iron, with Jiraiya**

_Damn. I always forget how cold this land really is. _The Toad Sage, Jiraiya of the Sannin thought as he walked over the snowy streets of the samurai's homeland's capital city. Being deep into the mountains of the Land of Iron it was expected. Still. It didn't mean that Jiraiya had to like it. But, Naruto was rather adamant about getting a new armor for the Chūnin exams. For all his talk about setting his emotions aside.

Naruto has asked him to commission an armor-set for his match and future missions. And from the Land of Iron of all places. _Maybe it was a mistake to tell him about the quality of metal from this country. _Jiraiya thought. "Bah. Even if I didn't, the kid would figure it out somehow." Name of the country aside. But the fire wasn't very common in the Land of Fire, affinity aside. Only when some sort of catastrophe happens. He wouldn't think that the iron in the Land of Iron was the best. Would he?

As he walked through the snowy streets, Jiraiya noted that many people were uneasy as they were running amok. It was Friday and the streets were busy with people going around on their way, scrambling around in order to acquire goods that were usually unavailable. However. There were _much more_ samurais and many_ more_ civilians than before, as Jiraiya recalled. The Capital City wasn't that populous in the past. _Breach in the security?_ Most likely. He'll find out soon anyway. Samurais didn't wage a war with neighboring countries in a long time. They must have experienced a population boom.

Soon, he reached his destination. The best armorsmith on the continent. _Sadamune. _

Jiraiya walked inside the shop. A rather exuberant place. _Well, Sadamune was always the type of guy to show-off his fame and skills. _It was a large building built in traditional architecture, like every other building in this country, with wooden dolls standing on the outside with a pair of different armors on them, signifying it was an armory, if a sign above the door was missed by a passenger by any chance.

A bell ringed as he entered through the door, but no one came from behind the shop._ Maybe he took a break? _

Jiraiya proceeded to look around the shop. Various types of battle-gear was hanging around the room. Both armor and regular weaponry.

"It took you long enough to come out." Jiraiya said smirking as he turned around and faced an old man in his late fifties, of mid-height, bald of head and long black beard with few shades of grey here and there and a pair of glasses on his eyes.

"It's not like anyone would dare to steal from here, not even ninjas. Even your kind has some sense of honor when it comes to business." The old man replied in a hard tone, but immediately cracked a smile. "It's good to see you, Jiraiya. How long has it's been? Fifteen years? More?"

"Thirteen. It was just after the Third War." Jiraiya corrected, still smiling. "It is good to see you old friend." He approached Sadamune and they shook hands.

"It's good to see you too, Jiraiya. But tell me you're not commissioning something for any of your ninja wars. I don't want to have problems with Mifune-dono. Despite his calm demeanor, he gets prickly if you start dealing with you people during your fights."

"It's nothing of sort, Sadamune." Jiraiya said. "I want to order an expandable armor-set for a boy of thirteen-seventeen age group. Expandable for the later use once he grows." He moved his hand to his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to the blacksmith.

The sheet of paper contained the current measures of the armor-set as well as the Senju clan insignia on its chest that Naruto wanted to be present. Hopefully Sadamune would not recognize it.

Taking the paper in his hands, the blacksmith nodded, but then widened his eyes suddenly.

_Or would..._

"You have some explainings to do Jiraiya." The blacksmith said with furrowed eyebrows as he pointed a crest on a paper.

The Toad Sage sighted. "I can't say much for now. You'll hear the news in a few months anyway." Looking towards the old blacksmith Jiraiya sighed once more. "Fine. How much?"

"It'll be six-hundred thousand ryō." Sadamune said.

"Six-hundred thousand!?" Jiraiya shouted. "What the hell? Since when did you get this expensive? And just to keep a secret!"

"Ever since I'm dealing with shinobis. Don't worry I won't say a word about your Senju to anyone. Do you know about the bureaucracy I'll have to deal with in order to get you this set? All the material I need to buy first." Sadamune retorted. "I assume your Senju boy wants it to be chakra durable, right?"

"It would be nice if you could arrange it." Jiraiya said with an automatic smile, but then turned serious. "It won't cost more, right?"

"No worries, Jiraiya. It won't. The price is just for the armor and the materials I need to buy first. " The blacksmith said. "But it'll take much longer for me to have it ready than usual, with this crisis we have at the moment..." He grumbled at the end. So _there was_ a crisis.

"I was about to ask you regarding that. What's the deal? I don't remember samurais being this uneasy, like ever." Jiraiya pointed out, crossing his arms. "You guys don't go around waging wars on neighboring countries. Is someone attacking you?" There were more people than usual. So it wasn't a population boom. Maybe refugees from the battle-affected regions?

"Hardly." Sadamune muttered as he moved behind his counter. "From what I heard, there's a number of the young children missing from the villages at the border with the Land of Rice Paddies. (2) Mifune-dono has sent the missive to the Rice Daimyō, but all he has got is a denial of such accusations. It gets worse as the Rice country now has the hidden village – _Otogakure no Sato._" He sneered at the mention of that name. So those were the refugees. A new war. The land can never get rest it seems.

Jiraiya knew that while Sadamune respected him and supplied him with the intelligence, during the Third Shinobi World War, he disliked the shinobis and what they stood for. While not a samurai himself, he had their sense of honor. And the two professions were so different from each other that it was a miracle how the blacksmith was friendly with him. Jiraiya guessed that saving another man from a group of rogue ninjas has never given a better result in the new friendship.

"A number of young children missing..." Jiraiya muttered as he considered many options. _There is only one man that comes to mind_.

"You know something about that?" Sadamune raised his eyebrow, as he typed the bill for the armor.

"Maybe." Jiraiya paused for a second as he closed his eyes. "Before he fled the Konoha, my old teammate – Orochimaru was discovered experimenting on the young children, being responsible for their kidnapping. Doing all sorts of experiments on them. If there is someone to be the prime suspect – it's _him_."

"I should have known it was one of your own doing that." Sadamune snorted. "Anyway, here's your bill. Give it to the kid that wants the armor." _A six-hundred thousand ryō's._ Naruto will have to take something from his inheritance for this. Not that it would harm his income in any case.

"I can have your word you won't mention anything about this armor to anyone?" He needed to be sure. Naruto's heritage would be revealed anyway in a few months, but it was better to make sure the kid was safe until he got more experience. As safe as the life of shinobi could be.

"Of course. But tell me this, who is the kid? Your old student's son?" Sadamune piqued from the side.

"Not telling." Jiraiya snorted as he started walking out of the shop.

"Jiraiya!" Sadamune called him once more before he left. "Please go and see Mifune-dono regarding this. It'll mean much to us."

He nodded. If Orochimaru really was behind all this, then it would be wise to ally with samurai's to stop him. "By the way. How long will it take you to finish that armor?" A new schedule was needed to arrange his traveling plans. Many things would need to be checked. Money to be picked and messages to be delivered.

"Come back in about a month. It should be ready by then."

_A month to finish all this. I should get to a nearby onsen before I leave. _Jiraiya thought mischievously. Some pleasure for his soul won't harm anyone after all. And it would be good to get a little warm from all this cold.

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato: 9th April**

A week has passed since they became Genins and today would be the first day when they would take their first mission. Every day since the day they passed their test, before starting the training, Kakashi-sensei had them do the new training regime for Genins that was required – two hundred laps around the training field, a hundred push-ups, the same number of sit-ups and back stretchers. And that was only for warm-up.

It wasn't a problem for Naruto to do them and neither was for Sasuke. Sakura, however, got tired quickly. She would have to go step-by-step in order to reach the required hundred without fatigue.

Today was also the day when they would have their first mission. For the duration of the first week, they were doing mostly team-building exercises with occasional spar between the members of the team. But now, Kakashi-sensei deemed them ready for them.

While a bit disgruntled for the lack of a more practical side of training, Naruto understood the necessity of the training their sensei had put them up to. All three genins had different worldviews and values. While they passed their bell-test it was due to Naruto who knew the true meaning behind it. _Journals_ are certainly one way to gather necessary information that would help you later on. And pieces of information are sometimes life-saviors on the battlefield.

Sakura still had her fangirl moments. But she had the potential to be broken off from that persona. Their missions would no doubt be a great wake-up call for her to take things more seriously. Albeit, she already did – if only for the sake of Sasuke noticing her. Because as Naruto told her, she needed to ditch her diet and eat more in order to get the Uchiha's attention. A bit of manipulation. If he ignored her while she was skinny, if she gets more weight he might start giving her attention. Although it required to have a bit of persuasion from Sasuke's side. For now, he should ignore her if she would pester him with anything other than ninja training.

"What do you think our first mission will be?" Sakura asked her teammates as they walked towards the Academy where they would receive their first mission.

"Something within the village most likely..." Naruto said.

"Sensei?" Sakura directed her question towards Kakashi.

"Naruto is correct. Most of your initial missions will be within the village." He told her. "Only later on when I deem you experienced enough for the higher-ranked missions – I can talk with the Hokage-sama and ask him to allow it." _Which will most likely happen soon._ Kakashi thought with a hint of pride. Despite their differences, the three of them showed great teamwork during their training. Even if for the sake of just finishing the task early.

Sasuke was a bit distanced from his teammates, but Sakura and Naruto at least had a cordial relationship. He noticed during the first three days of their team's existence, Sakura would occasionally be tense around Naruto – but fortunately, she broke from that shell fast as she got to know him better.

"Team 7 reporting for our first mission, Hokage-sama" Kakashi said as he and his team entered the Mission Assignment Room, bowing slightly to the Sandaime Hokage who sat behind the desk with various papers on it. Mission requests most likely.

"Ah, it's good that you came. We have many D-rank missions for today. Some teams already came and picked them up already..." Sarutobi said as he skimmed throughout the paper with the list of missions for rookies. "Here we are. We have:

1.) Finding the missing cat.

2.) Cleaning the garden.

3.) Babysitting three children of the merchant from the Capital that is visiting the village. -"

"We'll take the 'Finding the missing cat' mission, Hokage-sama." Kakashi interrupted seeing his genins getting a little impatient. Sasuke and Naruto at least did. Sakura had a confused expression on her face.

"Very well. Here is the picture of a cat." Sarutobi handed the photo to the Kakashi. "And here is the list of locations where he could be at the moment."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. Team 7, let's go."

"'Finding the missing cat'?" Sasuke sneered once they exited the building.

"Exactly, Sasuke." Kakashi said flatly. "Consider this as a training for tracking mission that you might encounter in your career."

"Hn."

"Shouldn't a Team 8 be a better suited for this type of mission?" Naruto asked. "They are a tracking team officially, after all."

"Maybe, but I want you to get experience in different fields before we embark on higher-ranked missions." Kakashi said nonchalantly. At Naruto's raised eyebrow, he simply shrugged his shoulders and picked up his orange book from his hostler and began reading it.

"Here's the picture of a cat you're supposed to find and here are the parameters on where he could be." He handed them the photo and map as he continued reading. "Good luck."

"What are you going to do while we search?" Sakura asked.

"I'll oversee you and the result of your teambuilding exercises." Kakashi said as he flipped another page of his book, not even lifting his head as he answered.

"We should check the closest location first." Sakura said.

"Right. It's the old Senju compound." Sasuke said, accepting the current situation as it was.

_Fuck. How could I forget that? _Naruto didn't want Sakura and Sasuke to go there now. _Curiosity killed the cat_. After all. "Wait. I'll try to sense him and pinpoint his location." He suggested instead.

"How can you sense it if you don't even know it's signature?" Sakura questioned. It was true. However, he answered his theory nonetheless.

"All I need is to sense the male animal, in this case, a cat, that's away from the humans within the village. We can begin the search that way. As the cat escaped, he should be away from the crowds. Or at least somewhere he would not be disturbed or easily found." (3)

"Fine. How far is your range?" Sasuke asked this time.

"I can go with five kilometers for now." _The range will expand as I grow. _It was already strong as it was, allowing Naruto to detect various chakra signatures in the village. With one male having traces of chakra _similar_ to his own in a way. It was one of the ANBU's that acted as his guardian when Kosuke was away. He didn't mention that to anyone, _yet_. Or asked the person in question, anything. He figured that the old man must have known something about it, but kept it a secret for now.

Sasuke looked at him strangely for a moment before nodding. "Where should we start then?"

Naruto placed his finger on the ground and focused on his senses. After a minute or so he smiled and answered. "Forest near the Nara clan's compound. A perfect place to hide and evade the intruders."

* * *

**A half-hour later**

"I can't believe that she actually _was_ there." Sakura said as they walked towards the Academy once more. It wasn't hard to find the cat with a sensor on their team, but catching it was a lot harder. But still they managed to grab him.

"The cat really likes you, Sasuke-kun." Sakura said, watching the said animal peacefully sleeping in the Uchiha's arms.

"Hn."

"Are we doing another mission today, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked again.

Kakashi thought about it for a second. _Maybe another one that requires teamwork? _"Sure, why not." They can work together on a mission, while he oversees them and read his book in the process.

"You're finished already?" Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen asked lifting his head from a document he was previously reading.

"The power of teamwork, Hokage-sama." Naruto said formally, but there was a small glint of laughter in his blue eyes.

"I see." Sarutobi nodded. "Bring Rui-san in."

One of the Hokage's assistants stood up and went to another room, calling the customer for the mission to come.

A short woman, with short dark blue hair and somewhat emotionless look, came inside, tugging the cat from Sasuke's arms, who scowled at such disrespect.

"Why have you ran away from me, Nat-chan?" The woman asked as she started hugging her cat tightly and exiting the building after paying the successfully accomplished mission.

"What's up with her?" Naruto asked.

"I know her from my neighborhood. I heard she had that cat ever since her husband left her after finding out she cheated on him with a merchant from the Land of Lighting." Sakura whispered to him.

"Disgraceful." He commented with disdain in his voice.

"You want another mission for your team, Kakashi?" They heard the Hokage ask their sensei.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Let's see. You have..." The Sandaime started listing available jobs.

* * *

**A week later**

"What do you think sensei will have us do today?" Sakura asked her teammates as they waited for Kakashi to show up.

"More teamwork probably." Sasuke blurted out.

Content that her crush acknowledged her Sakura continued with the flow. "Do you think he'll start teaching us any techniques soon?"

"Probably." Came the answer from Naruto who was leaning on a nearby tree. He actually talked to the old man about this phenomenon. "Apparently, there is a new training regimen for all of the standard forces of Konoha. Team-building is essential right now. Jutsu's will come later."

"Where would you two like to specialize in?"

Naruto sat up straight from the tree he was leaning on, scratching his back from the crumbs of the tree that slipped through his clothes. "I'd like to be an all-round shinobi, if that makes sense." _Or where I can, that is. _"All except the medical ninjutsu."

"Same as Naruto." Sasuke muttered.

"Where would you like to specialize in, Sakura?"

"I don't know." She said. "Sadoru-sensei said I have good chakra control so I could go for genjutsu or medical ninjutsu. I'll probably go with one of those two."

"It won't hurt to try both." Naruto advised her. "While the medical ninjutsu is useful, it will leave you lacking in the combat part. You _could_ actually go with it and supplement it with genjutsu and taijutsu. Maybe even some of bukijutsu."

Sakura seemed to think about it. "I'll see with Kakashi-sensei and hear what he has to say." She nodded to herself. "What do you think, Sasuke-kun?"

"I agree with Naruto." Was the only reply from the Uchiha.

Seeing as Kakashi was still absent, _more so_ than usual, Naruto took out '_Advanced Fūinjutsu_' manual from his holster and began reading it.

"Fūinjutsu?" Questioned Sakura. "I didn't know you were interested in that, Naruto."

"I'm still a beginner. But I'd like to be more proficient one day." _If I ever want to learn Flying Thunder God jutsu._ Went unsaid.

"So how good are you with it?

Naruto never actually considered this. While Jiraiya praised him as a prodigy in the art, he did say he was still far from a master. It wasn't that irritating. He didn't bother learning much of it before. But as he was a Genin now, there werent many of other things he should give most of his focus on. He mastered his two affinities to the fullest. All that was needed was to expand his already large repertoire of jutsus.

"Hard to tell. I know how to create basic explosive tags and more advanced sealing scrolls, in addition to elemental traps and few more that are useful in battle. I'd say I'm slightly better than the average shinobi. But as I haven't given much focus on fūinjutsu until now, it's hard to tell."

Sakura nodded and Kakashi arrived soon after that. "Sorry I'm late, but I had a meeting with Hokage-sama just beforehand." Cutting Sakura off as she was about to complain.

Naruto raised his eyebrow in curiosity and Kakashi addressed him next. "He also told me that he needs to talk to you later on, regarding some shipment, Naruto."

Naruto nodded. Jiraiya must have returned with his armor, or at least the request for money to be deposited for this investment.

"Right then, aside from the meeting, I visited one of the shinobi gear shops and got some things that should help you in your further training." Kakashi said, gaining the full attention of his students – especially Sasuke who was ignoring him for the first part.

"How will you do that, sensei?" Sakura asked.

"First. With this." Kakashi said and pulled out a small deck of papers, handing each of them one piece. "Now watch." He channeled his chakra into the one he was holding, making it wrinkle. (4)

"What does that mean?" Curious Sakura asked, while Naruto and Sasuke watched in silence.

"That means that the Lighting is my primary affinity." Kakashi answered. "Although, at the same time I'm capable of using all other four elements as well. Due to the fact I trained those elements from scratch. But, as they are not my primary affinity, I can't use them that well. These papers can determine your elemental affinity, something that every person has."

"I see." Was the response from Sakura.

"Now it's your turn." Kakashi said with an easy eye smile. "Simply channel your chakra and the rest will do itself."

Sakura went first getting her paper crumble, indicating Earth elemental affinity. Sasuke was second with his paper wrinkling showing he had a strong affinity for Lighting, something that surprised both Kakashi and Naruto, who thought that Uchiha's were naturally inclined towards the Fire.

"Congratulations, Sasuke, it seems you have a strong affinity for Lighting. Though, judging by the strength of your fire techniques, I suspect that you have a strong and trained affinity for Fire, too."

"Hn." Sasuke grunted contently. It would explain why he had a hard time mastering the _Grand Fireball Jutsu_ when he was a child. Something that irked him to no end. At the same time he was happy that he found the answer to the question he never actually asked.

Naruto took the last turn – with his paper being cleanly sliced in half in a rather violent way and at the same time got completely wet. Both indicated a strong affinity for Wind and Water, which Kakashi pointed out to the two remaining students who were left wondering from the minor show.

"Naruto's paper shows that he has a strong affinity for both Wind and Water at the same time. Now before you ask – this means that he was born with the affinity for both elements." Kakashi explained. "Furthermore, this is also common among bloodline-based shinobis or clans from other nations."

Naruto nodded. He already knew about that, but what he didn't know about was the _exact_ bloodline he had. He had a book about bloodline mutations, but the book only explained how certain advanced nature manipulations turned into bloodlines initially. Other villages certainly do have shinobis with bloodline. Particularly Kirigakure. Naruto promised himself that one of these days he would try to combine his elements into a new one. _If it was even possible to do so, that is._

"So does that mean that Naruto has a bloodline?" Sakura asked.

"It can mean that, Sakura. Yes. But at the same time many shinobis are born with two different elements, yet never show any signs of a bloodline mutation. The Sandaime Hokage-sama is the prime example of this. He was born with the affinity for Fire and Earth, yet has never been able to create a Lava Release for example, but _is_ able to use those elements in combination with each other – making him feared throughout the Elemental Nations and earning him a title of _The Professor_, in addition to the _God of Shinobi_." Kakashi finished his lecture.

"Naruto may have a bloodline, but also may not. It is up to him to experiment and try and find out if he wants."

Once again, Naruto nodded. He would definitely do that. Senju name was to resurface once again. While he wanted to do it with Flying Raijin, it may not be possible to happen up to the Chūnin exams. _But. _He could make a name for himself at a later date anyway.

On the other hand, it would be beneficial for Konoha to gain another bloodline. While they had a definite and certain bloodline in Hyūga's _Byakugan_ and uncertain in Uchiha's _Sharingan_ and Kurama clan's _Ido_ Kekkei Genkai. It wouldn't hurt to have another.

Konoha prided itself in a hereditary talent of various clans that dwelled inside of it, unlike the other villages who possessed the various bloodlines in their own right. Including some minor villages.

As the old saying regarding the bloodlines went; Kirigakure _has_. Konohagakure _preserves_. Sunagakure _watches_. Iwagakure _explores_. And Kumogakure _takes_. (5)

"Now." Kakashi-sensei woke him from his musings with his announcement. "Sasuke, Naruto. You two will for the duration of my tutoring practice mostly with Elemental manipulation and ninjutsu, respectively."

"Sakura, while I'm proud of you for stepping up with your training." He said, making the pink-haired girl smile. "You would do better with genjutsu or medical ninjutsu supplemented with taijutsu. With your current chakra reserves, it would suit you better as well as be more useful, as Earth element takes a lot of chakra – which could leave you vulnerable to the attacks if the fight is prolonged."

"I understand, Kakashi-sensei."

"Good. Now let's warm up a bit and start with the first steps of your individual training." Kakashi told them. Sakura and Sasuke at least needed to go with the first steps. He's yet to figure out what to do with Naruto. Maybe he could start learning a third element as he studies fūinjutsu.

He needed to step up with his own training too. Orochimaru was making moves lately. Possibly creating a new village of his own. That didn't bode well. The Sandaime told that bit of information, that he got from Jiraiya, only to a selected group of Jōnin's, in order to give Orochimaru a sense of security. The Snake Sannin would no doubt change whatever plans he had if the information that Konoha knew about his movements was revealed.

_They're growing up. _Kakashi thought as he looked at his students warming up. If he wanted to honor his deceased teammates, he should focus on developing his own team, if anything not to become like his own – _dead_.

* * *

**Somewhere in the Land of Rice Paddies**

_This is wrong._

Walking throughout the greenery of his homeland, one Endō Gen'yūmaru (6) wondered why many of his countrymen considered this as a good thing for their homeland.

His clan elder deemed that serving the rouge Konoha's Sannin would be a good thing for the clan and the people of the country as a whole. But Gen'yūmaru had his doubts.

_He wouldn't be a rogue shinobi if he was 'good'._

When Orochimaru came to their disgraced country, using their defeat in the war against the Land of Hot Water – it was a too tempting opportunity to pass. Uniting the rather rival, but in-between peaceful clans was no easy task for the individual shinobis of their country to do. But Orochimaru held good connections with many of them, using that as a tool to finally unite them. They passed an opportunity to create their own hidden village back when everyone else did. Maybe another chance would not come to pass.

And to kick their pride, even more, a rouge leadership-reject of Konoha used them for the dishonorable task such as this one.

"Don't slack off!" Was the order the blue-haired bitch directed towards the collum of children that he was guarding on their way to one of Orochimaru's concentration camps. One child collapsed prompting the woman to slap him with a whip into the willingness to walk further.

_What will is there when his family is dead?_

The child stood up and joined back to the group, whimpering and shedding tears as he did.

_The test subjects. _

The future test subjects – enslaved children from the few villages on the borders of the Land of Iron. The blue-haired bitch Guren appeared before him, while the other twelve shinobis of the Otogakure guarded the collum of slaves while they walked by the narrow cliffs in one of many hills of his country.

They finished the last raid on those villages. Orochimaru was smart enough not to use the children of the Land of Rice Paddies, but in order to repay his 'generosity', they had to perform these types of missions for him. _Among other things. _Gen'yūmaru thought that Orochimaru probably wanted to use many of them for his experiments, but even he alone would not fare well against all the clans of the newly formed village of Otogakure.

_Disgraceful._

"What's up with you, Gen'yūmaru?" Guren asked him seeing him frown.

"Nothing, just tired from having no rest. That's all."

"Pff. It seems like you and your countrymen aren't that tough as you wanted to believe." She taunted him, but he ignored her provocations.

"How will an enslaving bunch of children help the Otogakure prosper?" He asked her back.

Guren snorted at his question. "It won't. This is a gift for Orochimaru-sama."

The feeling of disgust and shame, filled Gen'yūmaru, but he relented. It was needed. _For now._

"What does he plan to do with them?"

"No idea. And it's not your business to stick your nose into, anyway."

"You are from the Land of Iron originally?" He asked her after some time. She was very ruthless against these people for some reason. He heard some rumors that propelled him to ask this question. Rumors of a _Crystal Release_ appearing and destroying the entire village in that country. The only other Crystal Release user he knew of was her.

"Yes." Guren answered emotionlessly. Gen'yūmaru decided it was better not to provocate her further. He wanted to go back to his new village. He actually wanted to bring glory to his village, his fatherland.

Selfish Daimyō. Wicked missing-nins. Loyal psychopaths. These were the things he wanted to purify his homeland from.

_One day. One day I will._

Gen'yūmaru thought as they approached a Northern Hideout, delivering the prisoners as was ordered.

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, 4th May**

"Formation 8!" Naruto said.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

"Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere"

Sasuke exclaimed, unleashing the great ball of fire towards the river – with Naruto increasing its size with his own sphere of wind a second later. As a part of his teambuilding exercises, Kakashi had them do a bunch of collaboration techniques to increase their familiarity with each other. For now, they got used to supplementing Sasuke's fire attacks with Naruto's wind ones.

Sasuke smirked in pride thankfully nodding towards Naruto. He has gotten out of his shell a bit for the duration of their team's existence but was still unsocial as ever.

_I'll show you one day, Itachi!_

Bypassing his initial surprise at Naruto already having a large arsenal of Wind and Water style techniques, Sasuke mused that it would help him big-time when the time to kill Itachi comes. It was good that Naruto seemed to be willing to help him with his elemental training and was generally interested in collaboration for whatever reason. Swallowing his pride for a moment seemed like a wise decision back when he actually asked for help, it seems.

Looking towards the other part of the training ground, Sasuke saw Sakura sparring with Kakashi in taijutsu. She began learning genjutsu right after the second step in their training that Kakashi introduced.

"When do you think we'll get higher-ranked missions?" He asked Naruto.

"Soon. I hope." Naruto answered. "I don't think I can survive these boring D-ranks anymore."

"Hn."

"It seems that they're finished." Naruto commented once he saw Sakura go to rest by one of the trees after a spar, followed by Kakashi-sensei. "Let's go and see if sensei think it's time for us to do a higher-ranked ones."

As they approached the remaining two members of Team 7, Naruto asked if they were ready for the first C-rank mission. After all, they already did twenty-eight D-ranks since their team was formed.

"You're right. I do think you're ready for a C-rank mission." Kakashi said getting a smile from both Sasuke and Naruto. Sakura seemed unsure of herself for a moment, but nodded in support of her teammate's intention. "We can go and take one after the lunch break. But the mission itself will most likely start tomorrow or some other day. They're not always instant like the D-ranks are."

After the short break, Team 7 headed towards the Hokage's Tower at a slow pace. It was a sunny day like every other and the streets were bustling with happy folk that went on its own way.

"What do you think the mission will be like?" Sakura asked, placing a pointy finger on her mouth in a thinking pose.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Probably nothing too dangerous, we're still rookies."

Sasuke walked in silence as always, while Kakashi read his favorite book.

"I just hope nothing dangerous happens while we're at it." Sakura confessed, feeling a hand being placed on her shoulder and turning her head seeing it was Naruto's who smiled kindly to her.

"Don't fret, Sakura. You've gotten strong enough for anything we could encounter on the standard C-rank mission. And if we do encounter something more dangerous, remember we have Kakashi-sensei on the team."

"Thank you, Naruto." Words of her blonde teammate were always encouraging and Sakura was grateful for them. It was more inspiring when she heard some praise from him than a simple grunt from Sasuke-kun. Yet also she felt that she would be safe with not only Kakashi-sensei around, but also him for some reason.

Soon they got to the Hokage's Tower and entered inside. It was a bit weird that they wouldn't be getting a mission from the standard office in the Academy. But it was probably due to the fact it was not a D-rank or anything.

"Ah, Kakashi, it's good to see you." The Sandaime Hokage exclaimed as he saw their Jōnin-sensei enter his office. "You too, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan." The old Hokage acknowledged their presence getting a bow of respect from the three young genins.

"I'm here to request permission for the first C-rank mission for my team, as per your rules regarding the rookie Genin teams, Hokage-sama." Kakashi said.

Getting a nod from the Hokage, who stood up and walked towards one of the bookshelves by the wall – Kakashi got a scroll that the old Hokage took with the following orders. "Give this scroll to the Border-Guard Mission Department in their headquarters. You know where they are."

"I do, Hokage-sama." Kakashi said.

Getting another nod from their leader as well as the words of good luck, Team 7 bowed once again and left towards the designated building.

Border-Guard Mission Department was one of the units of the Konoha's standard forces that was composed of many Jōnin's and Chūnin's who choose to join it as it was relatively safe during the peace times and had a good salary. That didn't mean the job itself was easy. It was probably one of the more dangerous ones, even if it was classified as only a B-rank mission for the borders of the nations from where the attack could be expected.

Genin teams were for that reason directed to the safe borders of the Land of Tea where no conflict or at very least minimal one could be expected.

"Okay, Team 7. Tomorrow at 07:00 AM, be at the front gate with the clothes you think you will need for a two-week trip. As well as the shinobi gear and food supplies. Don't be late."

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei/Kakashi" Said the Naruto and Sakura respectively with Sasuke omitting the correct title.

_Reminder to work on his manners sometimes. _Kakashi thought.

* * *

**A trip to the border**

After making sure that his team got the necessary equipment for the two-week-long mission – Kakashi decided to depart. By traveling with ninja speed – he calculated they would arrive at the border of the Land of Tea within the day and a half – replacing the current team there for the duration of one week, two at most if anything goes the bad way, or a new team replacing them becomes absent.

After the day and a half, they arrived at the main base – Shōryūji. The base that was responsible for deploying shinobis to the various patrols. Inside of the minor camp, there were around twelve higher-ranked ninjas, with few tables around and maps of the border on its walls. The camp itself was basically a cave that housed the Leaf-nins before they were directed to their own sector to be deployed. Granted, this border was mostly patrolled by the new genins as a part of their training.

"Long time, no see, Hayama-san." Kakashi greeted a fellow Jōnin in charge of the sector they would oversee, handing him the scroll that explained the mission from the Border-Guard Mission Department.

"Strange to see you on time, Kakashi-san." Said the Jōnin in charge with serious expression.

"New rules for Jōnin's, as you know for yourself." Kakashi said as he scratched his head. The reputation of being late was embarrassing when mentioned in front of his students.

"Heh. Doesn't matter. Here is your starting point and here is the sub-sector that you're supposed to patrol. It's five miles long, east and the west respectively. In the scroll it's stated where should you place your defense mechanisms. We don't want Nadeshiko kunoichis to give us problems if some unlucky civilian gets killed in the forest." Hayama said before he turned to the Genins of Team 7.

"My name is Shirakumo Hayama and I'm in charge of this sector. It is a tradition that the Sector's Captain wishes you a good luck. So, good luck. Be sure to listen to your Jōnin-sensei and pay attention to everything he says and instructs you here. Who knows, one day, you might become captains of your own sector." Hayama quickly finished and shook hands with each of the Genins, not wasting his time on pointless talk or anything else.

"Dismissed."

* * *

**Team 7, cave-camp**

Their camp was located at the small cave by the local river. A good place for fishing the meals if needs be. Granted, Kakashi had them bring the imperative supplies, which included the ready-made food. Aside from that, they were given the necessary gear and traps to set along the border from Shōryūji base.

For the first day, with Kakashi's explanation, they learned how to set the traps properly and where to actually place them, according to the instruction that Captain Hayama gave.

Naruto restrained himself from using the shadow clones for this occasion. As per Kakashi's suggestion, his teammates needed experience too, so countless supplies of blonde heads were out of the question this time.

Aside from the regular patrols that they had, Kakashi also had them hunt for food. It was mostly fishing, though.

* * *

**At the end of the fourth day.**

Sakura and Sasuke were sleeping in the cave as the night fell and the sun settled.

Kakashi and Naruto were outside, overlooking the border's forest quietly from the top of the cave's hill. Kakashi had a small flashlight stuck inside his mouth throughout his mask, directed towards the book he was reading – with nothing better to do apparently.

At the same time, Naruto was looking towards the forest in front of him. Animals were asleep, with owls and other night birds producing sounds of the night. It was peaceful and fulfilling. A perfect opportunity for meditation. Yet, he also felt a bit uneasy. It reminded him of the loneliness in his early childhood as he looked towards the moon. Most noticeable light in a sea of stars. _Just like me in the village_. He thought bitterly.

"What is on your mind, Naruto?" Kakashi asked him, closing down his book and turning off the flashlight.

For a moment, Naruto was silent still looking at the moon. "Just having an existential crisis, that's all."

"An existential crisis?"

"Yeah. I'm thinking about my life, among many things." Naruto answered him. "About the mistakes I've made."

Kakashi turned towards him with a sad look on his face. "You're too young to worry about that."

"Perhaps. But I can't help but think about it."

Silence.

"Over the years, I dreamed many times about the incident at the playground. It lessened with time... But the moment such as this I can't help but think about it."

"When I seven years old my father killed himself." Kakashi said after another moment of silence. "I resented him for years after that and I aspired to be a total opposite of the things he stood for."

Naruto looked at his sensei. He heard the story about the White Fang of the Leaf from Kosuke. His surrogate uncle admired the former Hatake patriarch more than anyone else. Contrary to most of the village after his failed mission. The man had an altar of devotion within the Eternal Genin.

"I, for myself started resenting him after his failed mission, but I didn't show it to him directly, though I suspect he knew."

A pause.

"After he committed suicide, I embraced the opposite worldview from him. Where he valued comrades, I valued the rules and mission. Just to ensure something like that would _never_ happen to me."

Second pause.

"It was only when Obito disobeyed me during the mission that I led – and went after Rin when she was captured. That was the first time in years that I felt the same way as my father probably did after his failed mission. Obito's words also struck a chord, I admit." Said Kakashi as he chuckled for a moment.

"Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum? Obito said that?" Questioned Naruto.

"He did." Nodded Kakashi. "You have beat yourself long enough about the playground incident, Naruto. Longer than I did with my own demons."

"Nobody blames you for that and most of the villagers have already accepted that you weren't at fault, ignoring their initial shock. I guess Sandaime-sama did well to quell the initial anger with the time." Said Kakashi.

"You have people around you, who care about you. Including me. And none of us blames you for that. Before my father died, he didn't have anyone to support him. His closest friends shunned him. Even I did."

A third pause.

"I resented myself for many things. For Obito's death, for Rin's death. For not being able to help your father during the Kyūbi's attack. For letting you live on your own early on. And for abandoning my father in his greatest hour of need." Kakashi said sorrowfully.

"Don't become like me, Naruto. Learn from my mistakes. Don't let yourself become a self-loathing and bitter man. It will hinder your growth both as a shinobi and as a man."

"I understand, sensei." Naruto admitted.

"And do not become something you are not. Do not become the opposite of what you are in order to please the system. I shudder at the thought you could become attention-seeking loudmouth."

"Worry not, sensei. I shiver when I think about it as well." Smiled Naruto.

A fourth pause.

"Your father was a great man, sensei," Naruto said. "I do not doubt that he would be proud of you."

"I hope so, but _I_ will never be sure."

Naruto nodded before he smiled again. "Although I'm not sure if he would approve of your choice of literature. A written _porn_, sensei." He told him in a mocking tone.

"_Romance erotica_, Naruto." Kakashi corrected with a pointy finger to signify it's importance. "I was hoping we would run into some Nadeshiko kunoichi's while we're on this mission. But for now – nothing." He said with a small giggle.

"Uncle Jiraiya told me once that his second book was inspired by observing their life in their village." Naruto said as he placed his hand on his chin in thought. "H, he was always a bit uneasy when he talked about them. Giving me a strange look as he did."

"Who knows, maybe he arranged a marriage for you but was afraid to tell you about it?" Kakashi suggested.

"Heh. It wouldn't be the first time for a Senju man to marry a Nadeshiko kunoichi." Ea notion that he had an arranged marriage was interesting. Hopefully, Jiraiya _didn't do_ something like that.

"Really?" Questioned Kakashi. "I thought their kunoichi's of their lines only give birth to girls?"

"True." Nodded Naruto. "But one Senju clan's head did marry a Nadeshiko kunoichi and she gave birth to four sons for him."

"She did?" Said the surprised Kakashi. Granted, the personal clan history of the Senju clan was completely foreign to him. This was new information and he wouldn't miss it.

"Indeed." Smiled Naruto. "She was the mother of Hashirama, Tobirama, Kawarama and Itama Senju"

"I never knew that." Admitted Kakashi completely surprised.

"Well, you do now. Nadeshiko existed before other hidden villages and for that reason, it is not classified as one. They fought with shinobi-raiders from the Land of Wind and for that reason they allied with the Senju clan bound in marriage because my clan also had problems with them. But only for that purpose. They didn't fight against the Uchiha clan alongside us."

"Is there any reason she only gave birth to boys?" Kakashi asked. _Two of whom are something akin to mythological gods in the shinobi world_.

"There is."

"...And the reason is?" Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow.

"_Because the seed is strong._" Naruto said, smirking.

* * *

**Tottori, a minor border town in the Land of Fire**

Sitting in the small tavern of the minor border town of the Land of Fire – Rokushō Aoi had never hated his decision to abandon his home village more than he did now. Granted, he had three years to reminiscent about his past decisions, but he was never so cornered as he was now. Betraying his village because Hanzō the Salamander promised him a rank of Jōnin in Amegakure if he spied on Konoha for him. As proof of his loyalty; all he had to do was deliver him the information's regarding the inner happenings of the village that was harder to get from the outside, occasionally. The status and identity of the Konoha's Jinchūriki, the state of power after the Uchiha massacre, etc. But in order to fully prove his loyalty, he had to steal the Nidaime Hokage's Sword of the Thunder God as well as the secret scroll of the Konoha's interrogation techniques. He easily fooled his former Academy student, Morino Idate into stealing the scroll and the sword from the Hokage's Tower. Not to get himself caught in the process.

Aoi didn't actually think that the young fool could steal the scroll and the sword so easily. If he had the chance he would either kill the brat after he ran to keep the secret. Or he actually would succeed, which was nothing but a miracle in Aoi's book.

_However_.

Ibiki Morino was quick to chase after him and Idate all the way to the Amegakure after the latter delivered the objects to him. He was fortunate to get to the Rain village in time for Hanzō's forces to help him capture the Tokubetsu Jōnin of Konoha, though. Torturing didn't help – even when Hanzō allowed him to do it himself. _Another test of my loyalty._

_Loyalty? _Aoi questioned himself. If one betrayed his own village, his own home. What certainty was there that he won't betray his new liege? Hanzō probably knew that as well. Surely, that's why he had him do all the trials to get there.

_But_. Ibiki in the end managed to escape, just like his foolish younger brother. And Aoi was left to face Hanzō's wrath. Initially, he thought he was safe. The ruler of Amegakure was in conflict with the opposition forces from his own village. Another pawn would be welcome? Right?

_A pawn._

He bashed Ibiki – calling him a pawn of Konoha. But at least Ibiki had a roof above his scarred head. Aoi had nothing. He clenched the wooden cup he was drinking from in rage, before composing himself.

After Ibiki fled, leaving the scroll and the Nidaime's sword, Aoi thought he would prove himself to the Salamander.

_But._

The sword was a fake replica of the original. It's power being an illusion. And the scroll was a bunch of gibberish that not even an Analysis team of Konoha would be able to comprehend.

_Both of them were fake in order to lure out the potential traitors. _Ibiki probably chased after him in the first place, just to figure out where did the break in the security happened and which village was the perpetrator.

Naturally, when he found out – Hanzō was furious and didn't hesitate to throw him into prison for interrogation. He luckily managed to escape the prison before they could kill him or torture him.

So now he was here. Again fleeing _another_ country. This time it was the Land of Tea – because those Nadeshiko sluts weren't keen on taking a missing-nin as a father material for their daughters.

Aoi went there in the hope he could settle and live peacefully for the rest of his life. But kunoichi's of Nadeshiko had an agreement with Konohagakure, apparently like some sort of alliance? He didn't know much, as the information gathering for rouge ninjas was much harder than it seemed. They chased him down, but he managed to escape. _Again._

_Why would anyone become a rogue ninja in the first place? _Aoi thought angrily as he took another cup of water to clean his throat.

Looking towards the brown wooden ceiling of the tavern, Aoi considered his options. He could go to the newly formed Otogakure. Perhaps they would accept him? He could try to sell them some bullshit about Konoha's education and they would place him into their Academy? It wouldn't be a bad life to live. He would live. That was important.

At one point he dreamed of living peacefully in Konoha. Teaching brats and them worshiping him for being a _kind_ sensei. But all of that was impossible now. He was a traitor to his homeland. _A deserter. _With nothing at his side but his newly made battle-umbrella and a cloak with a conical hat to conceal his identity from any hunter-nins out there. And some money he robbed from some unfortunate soul out there on the road. Constantly suppressing his chakra was mandatory of course.

_If any even bothers to hunt me down, that is._

It was both a hit of luck and a strike to his pride. But you lived with it. And you _actually_ lived.

As he stood up to leave a new figure entered the tavern. Aoi saw a young boy with blonde hair and Konoha's headband walking inside of the tavern he was currently in. The black cloth that held the headband flowing behind him as he walked. He recognized him. It was Konoha's Jinchūriki. Namikaze Naruto. Quickly sitting down again, Aoi noticed one object on the boy's white belt. It was the same hilt of the replica of the Nidaime's sword.

_Did the Kyūbi brat stole it?_

_Doubt it. _The brat was disciplined back in the Academy. Silent and observing everything around him. And a good kenjutsu user. Aoi knew it first hand as he was the one in charge of teaching bukijutsu to the Academy students. That still didn't explain how he got the Nidaime's sword.

_It doesn't matter_. He was still just a genin.

_Perfect. _

He would follow the brat outside and ambush him. The Nidaime's sword would be his. Aoi thought madly as a sense of euphoria overwhelmed him for the first time in years.

* * *

**Forest around the Tottori town**

_For how long does he plan on following me? _Naruto thought as he walked back to his team through the forest outside of the town. He would need to deal with his acquaintance first anyway, but he wanted for Aoi-sensei to show himself on his own. Seeing as this was going nowhere, Naruto decided to act first. He turned around towards one of the trees and said.

"You can come out now, _Aoi-sensei._"

"_Kyūbi brat._" Aoi said venomously as he jumped down from the tree where he was hiding and following him.

"You know it's forbidden to reveal that to me, don't you, _sensei_?"

"As if I care about some dumb law of Konoha!" Aoi snarled, standing not far from him in what looked like a battle position.

"So why are you following me?" Naruto said emotionlessly.

"The sword! That's the sword of the Nidaime Hokage hanging around your belt. Isn't it?" Aoi asked with a hungry look in his eyes.

Naruto smiled as he took the object and lighted it up. "Indeed it is. Do you like it?"

"You can bet on that." Aoi smiled wickedly. _I can beat him. _"Tell me this. How did you get that sword?"

"Oh. Well, it belongs to me. So why wouldn't I have it?" Naruto said acting innocently as he did.

"The hell are you talking about, kid?"

"How about you come and find out?" And so he did, Aoi took out three kunai's threw it at Naruto who easily blocked it with the Nidaime's Sword.

_Is this it? _Naruto questioned himself. But as he threw the kunai, Aoi jumped into the air letting his umbrella flow under him.

"Senbon Shower!" Aoi said as the rain of senbons was sent flying towards Naruto from the floating-in-the-air umbrella.

"Wind Style: Swift Wind Wall!" Naruto went through the hand signs and exclaimed as the wind barrier appeared around him, nullifying Aoi's attack.

"Only that, _sensei_?" Naruto taunted. "I expected more from you."

Snarling at the provocation, Aoi charged towards Naruto with his umbrella, attempting to attack him with a clean hit. "You might think you're tough, but your still just a pawn of the Konoha's higher-ups, wanting to use you as a weapon." Aoi said, hoping to create distraction and confusion within Naruto, but all he got was a smile and a good defense to his assault.

"Perhaps. But at least I have a roof above my head – unlike you." Said the smiling Naruto. "Is that why you betrayed the village, sensei? Because you didn't want to be a pawn." For some odd reason, the question made Aoi widen his eyes, giving Naruto the opportunity to easily knock him down. Channeling the chakra into the sword, he sent the river of lighting towards his old sensei, knocking him unconscious. (7)

At the same time, Kakashi appeared beside him, looking at the unconscious Aoi, just like Naruto did.

"Strange to see him in these parts. Didn't he defected to Amegakure?" Naruto asked.

"He did, although we didn't hear anything about him after his defection."

"It wasn't difficult to beat him at all. I thought he would be a tougher opponent given the fact he was an instructor at the Academy in Konoha." Naruto paused, thinking. "Most likely it was because he suppressed his chakra for so long and it would take time to regenerate. His greed got him defeated." Naruto concluded.

"How did you ran into him in the first place?" Kakashi asked.

"I sensed a familiar trace of chakra in this town and only went to check out if it really was my old Academy instructor. But as I wasn't sure at first, I took out the Sword of the Thunder God, just to be sure. When I saw the shade of his green hair, my theory was confirmed. It's a good thing the old man told me about his treason previously."

"Indeed. Place one chakra suppressing seal on him, just in case. I want to check something." Kakashi said and Naruto did as he was told.

Kakashi placed his hand on Aoi's head started surfing through his memories as Naruto watched in silence.

After ten minutes or so, Kakashi removed his hand from Aoi's head saying with a hint of enjoyment in his voice. "It seems that your comment gave him a feeling of déjà vu. An old episode from his interrogation of Ibiki."

Naruto slowly nodded. "What are we going to do with him, sensei? Take him back to Konoha?"

"Nope. We'll destroy his body here. I already searched his memories and got the information I needed. I'll just report to the Hokage-sama when we return to the village. He didn't have anything valuable in there anyway..."

"What was that jutsu you used on him? It seemed similar to the techniques of the Yamanaka clan?"

"Not quite. It is actually a Psycho_Mind_Transmission, jutsu used by our interrogation unit, a bit different from the one Yamanaka's use, but has the same backround. Yamanaka Inoichi developed it to expand our Analysis unit."

"Will you teach it to me?" Naruto asked hopeful. It would be useful for him, just like Kakashi used it now.

"Maybe at later date." Kakashi said smiling, but then turned serious. "We need to take care of him first."

"How do you know that jutsu anyway, sensei?" Naruto asked.

"I copied it from Aoba by accident." Kakashi said sheepishly. "Just don't tell him that."

"I won't if you teach me how to use it." Smirked Naruto.

* * *

**Team 7's camp**

"Where have you two been all this time?" Sakura asked as they returned to their cave-camp.

"Naruto went to check something suspicious in the local town." Kakashi answered. "He can tell you more, later. Any strange activity here?"

"No. Everything is peaceful and traps are all in place, sensei."

"Good. But we'll need to stay alert anyway for the time being." If Aoi managed to slip inside the country, there is no telling how many missing-nins, those better than him are currently in. And they are much better at suppressing their chakra without backlashes, unlike Aoi. Kakashi then went on to check other parts of the border and defense mechanisms that were placed alongside it.

"Huh? What was that all about?"

"I'll tell you later. Where is Sasuke?"

"Near the river. We went to fish us some dinner." Naruto grunted at her answer. "I'll go and help him, prepare some salad to go along with it."

As the night fell once more, Naruto and Kakashi took the night watch – sitting at the top of the cave as they did for the many past nights, talking about various things as always.

"Sensei, do you think Sasuke has a chance to kill Itachi one day?" Naruto asked

"I don't know." Admitted Kakashi. "Itachi was a genius within his own clan. Many branded him even greater than Madara himself."

A pause.

"It is up to us to help him if they ever meet." Kakashi said. "Hokage-sama told me about the Akatsuki and that they might come for you. If there are more of us, we might have a chance to beat whoever comes after you. I hope."

Naruto nodded. "I fear that Sasuke will lose it once he sees Itachi. He'll need to be emotionally prepared if he ever wants to face him."

"I know. That is one of the _many_ reasons he was placed under me."

"Speaking of the team... What do you think of their development? Sasuke's and Sakura's." Naruto asked.

"Well," Kakashi said as he stood up as he stretched his muscles. "Sasuke is given the training he needs. I'm weary of teaching him _too much_. It's best if it doesn't go over his head and give him too much unnecessary confidence."

"I noticed. Do you think that's wise, though? He might think that you're holding him back."

"He can, but that's why I'm placing an accent on teamwork. That is the place where Sasuke needs most to work on."

"Hm." Grunted Naruto. "What about Sakura?"

At that, Kakashi looked at him with one of his eye smiles. "I have to thank you there."

"Me?" Naruto raised his right eyebrow. He did give few pointers to Sakura here and there, along with few motivational moments. But that was it. Unless it was enough.

"You are rather mysterious to Sakura, just like Sasuke is. But while he ignores her most of the time, you help her whenever I'm not there. You've became her inspiration to become stronger."

"Right." _As long as she becomes stronger, I'm glad. _It was also a nice feeling when someone looked up to him.

"She will. Genjutsu is her stronger side, but I can see her having a lot of potential in medical ninjutsu. _As well as taijutsu._ When she's finished with her initial genjutsu training – I'll sign her up in the hospital for their tutoring."

"Smart move." Naruto said. "How long are we to remain here? It is nearly the end of two weeks since we came."

"I contacted Captain Hayama. He replied that the second team will come to replace us in two days. So until then, we are to remain here."

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, Hokage's Office**

And they did. A day later new Genin team arrived and replaced them with their duty.

So now, team 7 was in front of the Sandaime Hokage, reporting on their first C-rank mission. With Aoi's appearance, it is automatically classified as a B-rank. Due to that, Hiruzen would need to deposit more money to the three Genins and their sensei. But he was proud of how they handled their first mission entirely.

"As the team 7 encountered a missing-nin on this missions. Your first C-rank is upgraded to the B-rank. Congratulations on the first higher-ranked mission, Team 7. The money will be deposited to your accounts tomorrow." Sarutobi said, smiling.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Team 7 replied.

"Go on then. You have the following week free from the missions. Kakashi, you stay. I have something I must speak with you."

Sakura was the first one to talk after they exited the Hokage's Tower. "What will you two do with all this money?" She spoke excitedly. 50,000 ryō was a good amount each of them got for this mission. (8)

"I'll save it for later use. Don't need anything expensive right now."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "Same as Naruto." He was happy with how this mission went. Money didn't interest him, because he had plenty of it anyway.

"Are you three free right now?" Their sensei, Kakashi, spoke behind them as he walked down the stairs. After getting a positive response from his students, he made a proposition.

"How about we go and celebrate your first B-rank? My treat."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

(1) I took the inspiration from the poster from the cover of Chapter #10 of Naruto Manga. There was a small training regimen for Naruto, so I figured – why not have something like that, but standard in the entirety of Konoha.

(2) I don't think Land of Iron was placed anywhere specifically. There is an Unnamed Country between Takigakure's and Otogakure's home countries where Mountain's Graveyard. I'll have Mountain's Graveyard at the edge of the country near Takigakure's borders, where it's inaccessible for normal people, even for some with chakra – like samurais. But that's for another time. Land of Iron is placed in that unnamed country.

(3) Sensory abilities are very underused in the fanfiction. While exceptional sensors like Tobirama and Minato could sense the person's chakra signature countries away. I figured why not use that ability in more _Ninshū _fashion. Like with hunting or tracking the lost animal. I'm not going the pacifist route eventually, but. That does not mean that the original purpose of the chakra should be discarded. As I had Naruto be a sensor, he can use it's attributes in a non-violent way too.

(4) In Chapter #315 Kakashi's paper simply wrinkled while he explained the process to Naruto. On the other hand, we see him use various other elemental jutsus and Narutopedia says he has all five elements in addition to Yin and Yang. So just a minor change in order to avoid confusion during the story for characters. Edit: I corrected this part and erased the parts about secondary trained affinities from showing on the paper, as few people pointed out in their reviews.

(5) A small observation from my side regarding the entire bloodline _controversy _in Naruto world and fanfiction. We are told that there was a distrust for bloodline holders in Kirigakure. Indicating that they had many of them. _I think_. At the same time – a few times I saw in fanfictions that Konoha wants to help the bloodline users. On the other hand Suna, aside from Pakura and Magnet Release of Kazekage bloodline is largely sat aside for that conversation. Iwagakure has Deidara and his own version of Explosion Release, Kurotsuchi, and a group of Iwa shinobis who has the Lava Release as well as the Dust Release of the two Tsuchikages. I went with the "exploring" route for them. And in the end, Kumogakure was shown greedy three times in the series when it came to certain bloodlines and abilities/weapons. They tried to kidnap Hinata and probably breed her for Byakugan. Same thing with Kushina. And lastly, Kinkaku and Ginkaku were part of the unit that was sent to capture from that I plan on expanding one more thing Kumo has in their possession that will be connected to this "saying" here. So I hope it's a nice addition on my part. I know, genius.

(6) Endō is the last name of Endō Naotsune, a warrior under Azai Nagamasa. There are some speculations that he was an Iga shinobi, but it's not confirmed. I used his name as an inspiration and gave it to Gen'yūmaru. Who was a prisoner of Orochimaru and his last body. I'm quite frankly annoyed when I see "kukukuing" Orochimaru in many stories with invincible plot armor and endless supplies of test subjects and loyal lapdogs. By all intents and purposes, he should have never had an opportunity to return to his initial hideout in the Sound country in canon after the failed invasion. And much less to have prisoners to have and kill each other, with reward to have their bodies taken? I get that most of the stuff with Oto were fillers, but still... And Gen'yūmaru was shown caring to his clansmen in canon when he asked Orochimaru to release them. So I like him. He'll have a bigger role here eventually. For now, he is a Land of Rice Paddies native and is a member of Otogakure.

(7) Aoi was beaten by Naruto in the Land of Tea Escort Mission filler arc when Naruto was much weaker. So, I guess I didn't nerf anyone here now.

(8) I don't know if each member of the team gets the full amount that mission is paid or they divide it. I went with the latter. It seems more plausible to me.

So, here it is. A new chapter. 12,000 words this time. I apologize for the late upload. But I had a busy day yesterday and today so I didn't get a chance to do so. This chapter is not beta-read yet, so I apologize for any grammar mistakes that you encounter. I hope it's not a deal-breaker and that you enjoyed it.

Few things. I placed Nadeshiko into the Land of Tea and I had a minor skirmish between Naruto and Aoi during the mission. The next chapter will be everyone's favorite arc; The Wave arc. I'll probably split it into two chapters depending on the word count. I'm also going with the English names for techniques as to not get confused later on and to ease it for readers. Japanese sound cool and all, but I'm not a native speaker. So there's that. I'll correct those words in previous chapters tomorrow.

**Nadeshiko Village** itself is not placed anywhere (un)officially. Because it's a filler village, I took the liberty of placing it into another filler country, the Land of Tea. I get it that Shizuka and Tokiwa in the Naruto Shippuden Episode #235 stated they were on their way to the Hidden Leaf. But for all intents and purposes, they could have heard about Naruto while they were traveling and that he was an apprentice to Jiraiya _after _he defeated Pain. Deciding to go there and meet him.

I also intended to introduce Shizuka here, at first. But I discarded that option as it seemed pointless for now. The simple placement of Nadeshiko will have future use for later.

In the end, I hope everyone is safe with this pandemic that swept the world and that you stay healthy or get better, depending on the situation. Thank you for reading, hope you have a nice day, or a good night.

~ HyperboreanRealist


	5. The Information

**Chapter 5:** "The Information"

* * *

**Author's Note**: I listened to your reviews on the last chapter and have corrected the part with the chakra paper. I also made a small change regarding who could Naruto sense with the chakra signature in them, similar to his own. Danzō is not included anymore. Just Yamato.

I have also started using Grammarly. So grammar mistakes should be corrected from now on, before the chapters are Beta-read. I already used it in previous chapters. It's not completely perfect, but it should do its job, for the most part for now.

Thank you for your time and for reading this story. Enjoy!

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, Senju clan's main residence,**

_*Yawn*_

Naruto had to suppress one as he had risen up from his bed early in the morning. Looking at his clock to his front, he saw it was 06:00 AM. An hour to get ready, eat and go and meet his team.

It was his usual morning ever since he became a Genin officially. No point on beating yourself. Life of a shinobi wasn't as bad as many would think.

Uncertainty of what tomorrow would bring was always there, yes. Yet at the same time satisfaction of being the protector would fade that away. For as a shinobi of Konoha, he was the protector of his people, village and the entire country.

After having breakfast and getting ready for his day, Naruto went to the outside.

As he left his home, he allowed the morning breeze of spring to invade his face, causing his hair to move wildly as it did. Cherry blossoms have already flowered and it gave a pleasant view from his engawa.

He used the body-flicker jutsu to arrive faster to his team's designated meeting spot. A Naka bridge that was above the river of the same name. He found Sasuke there who usually came first, followed by him, then Sakura and the last being Kakashi-sensei.

"Morning." Naruto said as he arrived next to Sasuke who was leaning on the fence of the bridge.

"Morning." Sasuke nodded to him before he continued looking at nothing particular as he always did.

About ten minutes or so Sakura arrived, wearing her usual happy smile on her face that she always had. "Good morning, guys."

Naruto responded in kind, while Sasuke gave his usual trademark grunt 'hn' that he directed to Sakura for most of the time.

_Some things never change it seems._

His team was a rather odd one in terms of personalities they individually had – they couldn't be different from each other if one had tried to place together as a cell.

Sasuke was the silent one, the one who preferred the darkness over the light if his usual mood was any indication. Sakura on the other hand always tended to be cheerful and smiling most of the time. It could be her defense mechanism when around her rather eccentric – in their own way – teammates.

Yet as Sasuke was a darkness, Sakura was brightness who always sought to overcome Sasuke's darkness. Just like the light banishes the dark. _Fitting. _ Naruto thought as he could see from Sakura pestering Sasuke for dates many times, ever since the Academy, up to the time as a team. Tough, recently, date requests have largely diminished.

Uncontrolled hormones or lack of chakra control can be rather destructive for one's development as a person if the person was a shinobi or shinobi in training. Especially during the childhood, or when the said person is growing up and going through puberty later on.

Sakura has been given a reality check with her time with the rest of the team 7. Sasuke is ignoring her for the most part. Except when she actually is serious with her training. With Sasuke ignoring her and Ino not being there as a healthy competition, it gave the space for her to grow.

"Do you guys think we're having another C-rank today?" Sakura asked. "It has been a week since the last one." Their last mission consisted of protecting a merchant and his family on their way back to the capital of the Land of Fire.

"Probably." Naruto said. "I think Kakashi-sensei intends for us to do one C-rank mission per week. Today we'll probably do another." All in all, Team 7 has completed two C-rank missions and one B-rank that was initially a C-rank – since their formation, in addition to fifty-six D-ranks in total.

Sasuke on the other hand didn't care much. He would go to the C-ranks as it was required, but would welcome some sort of challenge. Any challenge. Naruto defeated their old kenjutsu instructor. He wanted to face someone like that as well. To test himself.

_But._

At least these missions went to his official file. The first day, after his teams first two D-rank's, they had to write a report on how those missions went and the next day to present them to the department from where they took them in the first place. Sasuke liked the fact that their missions for now went flawlessly.

He was also allowed to have a copy of his reports, because apparently, clans could keep them as a memento of their career for future generations of the same clan to see. Soon after that Kakashi told him that he could get the mission reports that belonged to his deceased clansmen as well. Because becoming an official ninja placed him as an adult for many purposes.

Carrying on the legacy of his clan was one of them. For the first week since he got them, Sasuke had spent most of his free time reading those reports. He was both glad and happy to see the accomplishments of his family throughout many generations. Kakashi also told him that higher-ranked reports he could pick up only after he becomes a Jōnin. But even those would be simple confirmations on a job well done. Plenty of the higher-ranked mission reports was held as a secret by the village, according to what Kakashi said to him.

His mood soured when he remembered reading Itachi's files. His cursed elder brother also did D-ranks, but many C-ranks as well. Sasuke never finished reading Itachi's reports, because of the hate that poured into his body at those moments. Memories of the time when Itachi was kind elder brother who took him for one of his wild animals-dealing missions flashed through his mind that he subconsciously started gripping his shorts in frustration. Something which didn't go unnoticed by his teammates.

"Sasuke-kun." Sakura said worriedly.

Sasuke snapped suddenly. "What!?"

"I-I..." Sakura was visibly shocked. But instead of answering for herself it was Naruto who did in his authoritative manner.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke glared at him for a mere second, before calming down and apologizing. "I'm sorry. I had a bad night. That's all." Before dipping down his head and shadowing his eyes with his hair. Yet Naruto didn't bulge.

"Sasuke, if you need to talk about anything, both me and Sakura are here to listen." Naruto said nodding towards Sakura who nodded back.

"Right. We're your teammates, Sasuke-kun. You can talk anything to us." Sakura said with a small smile, albeit, a bit shakenly.

Despite his sour mood, Sasuke allowed a small grateful smile to grace his face. "Thank you. But it's just some bad memories. It's not something I want to talk to." He said, albeit he cursed himself inwardly right after, for allowing such small trace of weakness to leak from him.

Naruto's hard glare softened in understanding. "I see... But, just as Sakura has said. Know we're here for you to talk with – if you need anything."

Sasuke simply nodded before returning to normal mood, staring at nothing but air in front of him, as various cerebrations went on in his brain.

Pushing the memories of his wretched older brother aside, he tried to find some inner peace by meditating as he saw Naruto do many times.

Naruto for his part looked at him with a raised eyebrow, before smirking and going back to his conversation with Sakura who relented after looking at Sasuke worriedly for a moment. Their conversation went on, but not with much enthusiasm as before.

Sasuke continued meditating. _Think about something else_. Naruto was also allowed to keep the mission records as Sasuke saw him once picking the reports. Which was strange in many ways. Naruto was not from any clan. Or so Sasuke had thought. He tried researching in the library about the _possibility_ of the existence of the Namikaze clan, but found nothing. In the end he left the matter rest, at least for now.

"I think -" Sakura went to say something in her conversation with Naruto, but Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke right as she did.

"You're la-!" Sakura was about to shout, but then realized something. "Wait, you're here on time?"

"I was late only a few times, Sakura." Kakashi replied with a sheepish eye-smile. "Anyhow..." He began but then noticed a rather tense atmosphere around the bridge. He looked towards Naruto for an answer but the boy just flashed both of his eyebrows upwards and placed his mouth in a thin line – signaling he would tell him later.

Kakashi nodded. "Right then. I wanted to tell you that we will take a new C-rank mission today. A week has passed since the last one and I think another one would be good for you."

His students nodded.

"Let's go then."

* * *

**The Land of Sound, Orochimaru's hideout**

"Orochimaru-sama." A young silver-haired man with glasses, Yakushi Kabuto, said as he entered one of the operating rooms within his master's hideout.

"Kabuto-kun, you have returned." Orochimaru said as he shot a glance towards the doors, from the corner of his eyes.

"I did, and I bring the reports you have requested, Orochimaru-sama."

The Snake Sannin was silent, continuing with the operation he was engulfed in, all the while his right-hand man stood silently behind him.

"Did you accomplish anything else while you were in Konoha?" Orochimaru asked, while taking a small vial of blood into his hand, examining it closely.

"I did." Kabuto replied as he adjusted his glasses. "I recruited a newly promoted Tokubetsu Jōnin, Sabiru, to our cause. He will begin his mission once he is firmly established within the Tactical Division under Nara Shikaku." (1)

"Good." Orochimaru exclaimed, pleased with this development. He placed a vial into a rack and went to wipe his hands from blood, proceeding to sit in a chair after that. "Bring me those files."

"Here you go, sir."

Orochimaru took the envelope and opened it, seeing dozens of papers that composed various information and reports that Kabuto had gathered while in Konoha.

"See that Sabiru doesn't make it too obvious with the way he works for us."

"I will. He is rather intelligent and feels that Konoha is holding him back from utilizing his full potential." Kabuto said smirking.

"Ku-Ku-Ku. Sarutobi-sensei was always an idealist for a foolish cause. Believing everyone will follow his way just because he said so."

"Well, it should give us an opening for the invasion, but." Kabuto said, turning serious once again.

"But what, Kabuto?" Orochimaru asked, not lifting his head from the paper he read.

"Sandaime-sama _has_ increased the defenses of the entire Land of Fire, reinstating many retired shinobis for duty, albeit, within the village only. It left him with many younger and more versatile ninjas for border and road patrols throughout the country."

"So, Sarutobi-sensei has grown a backbone in his old age." The snake Sannin commented. "Sabiru doesn't know about our invasion plans, right Kabuto-kun?"

"He doesn't." Kabuto replied, tilting his glasses again, as he proceeded to answer further. "I only told him to try and weaken the defenses on the northern borders, from Amegakure to Yugakure. That way, even if by any chance Konoha's higher-ups discover him, it will not endanger our plans for the invasion. Konohagakure is _allied_ with Sunagakure after all. Their borders towards the Land of Rivers should be more relaxed in theory. In practice? Suna-nins should be able to take care of that. Even the border guards won't stop an entire invasion." Kabuto finished with a proud smirk.

"Good." Orochimaru stated with a wicked grin. The rest of the reports was mostly unimportant. Nothing major happened other than his old sensei had reinforced the number of shinobis guarding the walls around the village. But even that will not be enough to save the pathetic organization that is called Konoha once he attacks them with the help of Suna and their _weapon_.

"Oh my." Orochimaru exclaimed as he licked his lips with his snake-like tongue. "How could I forget about this boy."

"Which boy, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked.

"This one." Orochimaru answered as he showed Kabuto a page from one of Sasuke's teammates.

"Namikaze Naruto." Kabuto read. "He is one of the Sasuke-kun's teammates, said to be one of the most promising shinobis of the new generations."

"Indeed." Orochimaru continued smiling. "You are a medic, Kabuto-kun. To whom does the Naruto-kun remind you of?"

"He does look like the Yondaime Hokage-sama, Senju Minato." Kabuto stated, looking at the picture, but then the realization came to him and an evil smile formed on his face. "I see. So the Yondaime Hokage-sama sealed the Kyūbi into his own son. We could use this to gain the support from Iwagakure perhaps? Ōnoki of Both Scales is known to hold hate the Yellow Flash, with passion. He could be a valuable ally."

"He could. But that old fossil hates me as well. He is more than likely to kill me the moment he gets a chance." Orochimaru sneered at the end. "Still. Perhaps we can use this to our advantage before the invasion..."

"How so?"

"We will reveal this information to the other villages. Iwa is likely to reinstate hostilities if Ōnoki is provoked or in a bad mood when he receives this information."

"But will the Tsuchikage-sama actually believe this information if you deliver him so easily."

"He will either scoff it off as a provocation or will take measures against the boy. The Raikage is unpredictable on the other hand... But it does not matter. Ōnoki could diverge Sarutobi-sensei's attention towards the borders of Ame, Kusa and Taki. The attacks on the Land of Fire always came from those directions.

Silence.

"We will simply deliver them copies of this document, along with the information that Naruto-kun is a Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi. Iwa and Kumo will act in the way they want, but in any case it can be beneficial to us."

"Indeed." Kabuto said. "Sasuke-kun should be an easy target for you. He is described as a flight risk in Konoha's files. From what I could gather – he can be persuaded to join you if we promise him an easy way to kill his elder brother. But there is a possibility that Sasuke-kun gets killed as well in the process..." If the Tsuchikage decided to act more aggresively towards the son of the Yellow Flash, it could kill Sasuke in the process, too.

"There is. However. But Sarutobi-sensei will _not_ allow for Minato-kun's son to die so easily. As I said, if we are lucky, this will just diverge sensei's attention to other fields. Ōnoki will only send minor battalions to the border near the Kusa and Taki. Proud he that he is, he is not a fool to risk an all-out war. That notion is unpopular in Iwa ever since their defeat in the last war.

Silence

"Itachi is too strong for me and only another Sharingan can defeat his. It would be prudent for me to train Sasuke-kun fully and use him to get rid of Itachi and any other Akatsuki member if the chance is presented in the process, _before I take his body_."

Silence again.

"You should return to your team, Kabuto-kun. Lay low while you're in Konoha, for the time being, at least. Keep an eye on Sabiru, if he is discover – get rid of him. I will take care of the information you have provided me with." The Sannin ordered.

"I understand, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto bowed and left the room.

"Ku-Ku-Ku. Minato-kun. I wonder how your son will fare with this development." Orochimaru chuckled as he considered his options and plans for the future.

Even if Minato's son was gifted as a prodigy, as Kabuto's reports suggested, not even he will stand in the way of his ambition.

Yet at the same time, Orochimaru cursed his lack of luck regarding the last male Senju. The boy was young and from this report he already had a bad experience with the villagers in the past, killing three bullies in self-defense. Orochimaru couldn't help but allow another wicked grin to show on his face. If only he wasn't a Jinchūriki, Orochimaru would try and woo him to his side as well. Last available Uchiha and the last available Senju. Possibilities would be endless.

But as the luck wasn't on his side here, he would just have to be content with the Uchiha Sasuke.

"Ku-Ku-Ku. This will be interesting." Orochimaru said to himself as he continued reading the rest of the report.

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, Hokage's Tower**

"Bring Tazuna-san in." The Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered and one of his assistants went to the other room to call forth the client – after explaining the Team 7 aspects of this mission and gaining a positive response from them.

Usually this mission would be directed to the regular Protection Missions Department, but as the client was a foreigner, Sarutobi had to be the one to give this mission to a particular team that he deemed worthy. The reputation of the village to the outside was important after all.

And to his luck, the most promising Genin team of this generation was available today. Hiruzen was happy with the way Kakashi handled his team. He gave him enough time to deal with his past, it was time to look for the future.

Team 7, which stood calmly in front of him certainly had a bright future in front of them. And Hiruzen didn't fight the smile that crept on his face as he did.

"May we know what is so amusing, Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked, he himself smiling. He hadn't talked to the old man for two weeks. He would need to invite him for another hunting picnic, along with Kosuke and Jiraiya once he comes to the village again.

"I'm just thinking about how well your team progresses and the bright future you have in front of you." Sarutobi said, which caused the rest of the team to smile as well from the Hokage's compliment.

An elderly tall man, but in good shape entered the room, with a bottle of wine in his hand. Obviously a bit drunk, if his following comment gave any evidence for such accusation.

"I asked for a real ninja, Hokage-sama. You don't expect me to believe these brats are one, do you?" The old man commented.

"I assure you, Tazuna-san, these are fully-fledged shinobi of our village. If anything bad happens – and it won't – Hatake Kakashi here will take care of it. And he is one of the best shinobis we have."

"I see." Tazuna muttered, a bit disgruntled and not being content with this arrangement.

"Naruto. Sasuke. Sakura. Go home and prepare the standard gear as well as the spare clothes. Food for the trip and the money to buy anything we need along the way." Kakashi said and his Genins nodded, going on their way to prepare.

"Tazuna-san." Kakashi said as he approached the old man after his students left. "How long do you think you will need to complete your bridge?"

"I think it'll take two weeks at most, maybe three." Tazuna answered. "It is to protect me from bandits and the like." The old man mumbled those words and Kakashi suspected there was more to this mission than a simple protection from bandits.

In any case, he nodded, promising himself to find out what this was about. They already accepted this mission, and the bridge-builder paid his money. They couldn't back down now. Yet his senses warned him that something was _wrong_.

* * *

**At the front gates**

"I never asked you, but what is that, Naruto?" Sakura asked when she saw a strange object on his belt, pointing on it. They had met at the gate an hour later after Kakashi dismissed them.

"This?" Naruto looked down. She pointed on a Nidaime's sword. "It's just a _religious_ relic, for luck." He never showed the sword of the thunder god to the two of them. He should do it one of these days. For all his initial reservations. He thought he could trust Sasuke and Sakura. The latter having a really good relationship with him. Something he _never_ thought would have happened.

"I never took you for a superstitious type." Sasuke commented from the side.

"It doesn't hurt to be. In our profession at least." Naruto shrugged it off.

"Hn." Sasuke could accept that reasoning.

Ten minutes later, Kakashi-sensei appeared with Tazuna by his side. "Okay then. Let's go."

They walked quietly for a few hours, distancing themself from the village as they walked to the east. But even with that, they had to make a pause after some time because Tazuna, even though he was a physical worker for his entire life – couldn't keep up with them.

The night started falling as well, so they decided to make a camp for the night. As they sat near the fire, eating the food they prepared for the trip, Sakura decided to start a conversation in order to kill the silence that stretched for some time.

"Tazuna-san. What is the Land of Wave like? We haven't been taught much about it back in the Academy, as you don't have a shinobi village."

Tazuna's, already somewhat sour mood, fell even more. "We did have, many years ago..."

"You did?" Sakura questioned.

"We did. Back when the Land of Waves was part of the Land of Whirlpools. Uzushiogakure no Sato." He said gravely.

"Oh." Sakura exclaimed with a sad look. She of course knew about the homeland of the deceased Uzumaki clan. Just like everyone else did in Konoha.

Sasuke just sat there silently, listening.

Kakashi on the other hand, had a bitter expression on his face, while Naruto stared blankly at the fire that cracked in front of him.

"What is now known as the Land of Waves was previously part of the Land of Whirlpools. We were the most southern part of the country. A few minor islands that usually lived from fishing and trade with the main archipelago of the country." Tazuna began telling the tale.

"We have never had much interaction with shinobis in general. Most of the villages avoided us, for our rather worthless position. But we've had a village to rely on in times of need."

Silence, except for the sounds of campfire.

"After the village was destroyed, during the last war, we've remained part of the Land of Whirlpools, but the sudden tsunami destroyed the capital of the country, killing the Daimyō and destroying the central government, along with the remaining population of those islands..." He said gravely.

"But why wasn't the capital destroyed at the same time as the village was?" Sakura asked, curious.

Kakashi answered her this time. The subject was part of the general international conduct of the hidden villages and their home countries. "It is because there is an unwritten rule between the nations and villages, Sakura. We cannot stop the war itself, but we can prevent somehow for our capitals from getting damage during our fights."

"Why is that?"

"If some hidden village attacks the capital of another country – destroying it in the process, killing the Daimyō, there is nothing that stops the hidden village of a country that lost its capital to attack the capital of the aggressor's country. Daimyō's for that reason do not support the attacks on the other capitals and forbid their Kages from sanctioning those operations. Because of that, the capitals are relatively safe from our wars." That didn't mean that Feudal Lords are safe from the assassination attempt, though, for that very reason they opted to have the shinobi bodyguards. Every Hokage has supplanted their Daimyō with certain shinobis.

"We don't have our own Daimyō. Our country mostly consists of fishermen and a few remaining minor lords from the previous government that survived, but their power is meaningless. As their wealth was lost in that tsunami." Tazuna said with a haunted look.

Kakashi was about to ask Tazuna a question that bugged him ever since they got this mission, but Naruto's voice stopped him.

"Sensei. Two identical chakra signatures are watching us at the moment." Naruto said lowly.

Sasuke and Sakura stiffened for a second and Tazna blanched.

"Direction and stats?" Kakashi whispered as he sat next to Naruto around the camp-fire. As a teams sensor, Naruto's ability was very valuable for this type of situation. A standard conduct on how to respond to these types of ambushes was necessary

"Three o'clock. I'd say they are Chūnin's at best with their chakra levels. Very similar chakra by the way. They are brothers most likely."

Kakashi nodded. "Formation C-3." A formation that was used in surprise counter-attack during the missions with protection detail, if there was an ambush prepared on an assigned team and the client.

Sakura and Sasuke nodded, placing their hands onto their pouches for weapons, slowly. All the while Tazuna was quiet, but shaken in his seat. Two enemy shinobi were far from them to hear everything. And judging by their lack of response or movements, they wouldn't be hard to defeat.

Naruto and Kakashi disappeared suddenly from their seats near the fire.

"What?" One of the shadowing ninjas exclaimed.

"Focus, Meizu. Now's our chance." One of them said.

And so they attacked, sending their chains towards Tazuna.

"Sakura! Protect the client!" Sasuke shouted, proceeding to deflect the chains with his kunai as Sakura jumped towards Tazuna pushing him out of the attacks reach.

The chains were sent towards the nearby trees, as Sasuke in the meantime sent few shurikens, pinning the chains on the said tree, making them useless.

"Damn brat!" One of the enemy ninjas said, as he took out his kunai and went to deal with Sasuke, while the other did the same, but turned towards the Tazuna and Sakura who was in front of him, with her own kunai in hand, defensive position, although a bit shaken.

But before either of them could do anything, Naruto and Kakashi appeared behind them, with Naruto kicking Meizu to his back with a knee strike and Kakashi knocking Gōzu out with a chop on the neck.

"Good work, Sasuke, Sakura. That was a good reaction to this type of situation. Well done." He complimented them both who smiled at the praise. Kakashi turned to his last student who just knocked Meizu out. "Naruto. Make the two chakra suppressing seals, I would like to question them first."

"Understood, sensei."

"Sasuke, Sakura, help me tie them up."

As Naruto made two chakra suppressing seals, Kakashi placed them on the necks of the two tied-up brothers. The next thing he did was placing his hand on one of their heads. The information gathering. (3)

"We need some explanations, Tazuna-san." Kakashi said looking seriously at the bridge builder after five minutes of surfing through the Demon brother's memories.

As Tazuna explained his reasoning for lying about the mission parameters, Kakashi couldn't help but feel sympathetic to the old man. The same thing was with his students. However, there are rules of general conduct for these situations. And that the mission should be aborted if the client lied about the dangers of the task, in order to save up his money.

_However_.

Tazuna did not do it for his personal or selfish reasons. Saving his country could hardly count as one.

_Still..._

"Tazuna-san. This mission is out of the normal parameters designated for my team, which is consisted of the three Genins, that I would need to look after as well, _in addition_ to having to fight a dangerous missing-nin." Kakashi said in the end.

"Those two," He pointed towards the two unconscious shinobi. "are working for Momochi Zabuza, the 'Demon of the Hidden Mist', who has another minion, stronger than them under his command."

"I see..." Tazuna said sadly, his voice wavering with emotions of an already broken man. He looked close to crying. "I understand. You've done enough, even if I lied to you previously." Tazuna removed his glasses and wiped his teary-strained eyes.

Kakashi turned to his students to see their reactions and all three of them graced him with a look of understanding. But the most surprising thing that happened was the statement that came from Sasuke.

"We should continue."

Kakashi had to blink with his only visible eye a few times. Naruto and Sakura were no less surprised. Sasuke was introverted as it could get. A notion that he wanted to help others in need was a welcomed guest in any case. Having his own clan butchered must have left a deeper scar on Sasuke's persona than everyone had thought.

"I agree with Sasuke, we should continue." Naruto agreed.

"Me too. People of Wave need our help." Sakura said.

Kakashi looked at the three of them for an entire minute and then he sighted before a small eye-smile appeared on the revealed part of his face. "Fine. It would be bad if I chickened out now, wouldn't it?"

His students smiled in return, while Tazuna allowed his tears to fall freely, uttering continuous 'Thank you' to the Team 7.

"We'll need to call for back-up from Konoha and check if the Hokage-sama will sanction this, first. We might not be able to deal with Zabuza and his aide by ourself, if the worst comes to the worst. From now on, this is an A-rank mission."

The three Genins nodded.

"Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to my people." Tazuna said gratefully. After which he went into the forest to relieve himself. "I need a private moment. If you'll excuse me." He finished with an easy chuckle.

"How will we contact the village, sensei?" Sakura asked.

"With one of my summons." Kakashi replied. "Although it will take him some time to go there and for a team to be sent to us."

"Sensei, my summons can get there faster." Naruto suggested, getting puzzled looks from his teammates, prompting him to elaborate further. "Toads have direct access to Konoha compared to the other summons from what I know. We'll finish this faster."

"Very well, Naruto. You'll do that. I just need to write a message to the Hokage-sama. In the meantime, seal those two so we could send them as well." Kakashi said pointing to the Demon brothers once again. "We can negotiate their bounty with Kirigakure after the mission."

"Hmpf." Naruto grunted, proceeding to finish his task. Sealing living bodies into a scroll could be dangerous, and the maximum time of which they could be held in one was three hours at most. After which they would need to be unsealed and sealed again in a new, unused scroll. Not to mention that they needed to be knocked out for it to work and that they would need to have a constant and even, chakra input that they would gain from the chakra that was stored in a scroll. Both to survive and to remain in the scroll itself. Otherwise, they could easily escape it after three hours.

About five minutes later Kakashi finished writing his letter and called forth Naruto again. "Okay, it's finished. I wrote to the Hokage-sama about this issue. Let's just hope he doesn't cancel it and recall us back. Naruto!" He gave the scroll to Naruto to do his part.

"Summoning Jutsu: Gamakichi!" Naruto exclaimed as he slammed his palm onto the ground after doing the necessary hand seals and chakra molding.

"**Yo!**" Gamakichi waved his small hand. "**It has been some time, Naruto.**"

"It has. Here's your candy for not calling you more often." Naruto replied as he took a small sweet from his pouch and threw it to his personal summon.

"**Thanks bro. So what you need?**" The toad asked as he swallowed the small candy.

"I need you to deliver these scrolls to the Sandaime Hokage and to return to me with his reply."

"**You got it bro.**" Gamakichi said, taking both of the scrolls with his tongue, disappearing in a puff of some right after.

"How do you have Toad summoning contract, Naruto?" Sakura piqued from the side. Sasuke was also curious, but he didn't voice it.

Naruto glanced at them from the side, deciding that he should tell them the truth, partly at least. "Jiraiya of the Sannin is my godfather. He allowed me to sign the contract and be the next Toad summoner after him." _After the Yondaime, too. _Went unsaid.

"Jiraiya of the Sannin is your godfather?" Sakura asked, shocked at hearing this. "Why didn't you tell anyone? I never knew this. Kakashi-sensei?" She asked one thing after another.

Kakashi went to say something, but Naruto responded first. "Yes, he is. I would appreciate it if this information is to remain a secret, at least for now. Do you understand that, Sakura?"

Sakura was still in the state of shock, but nodded in any case. Still, her mind processed this news. She knew that for some reason many adults disliked Naruto and that he had to kill three older bullies in self-defense when he was younger, but he never said anything more about that incident.

A notion that one of Konoha's greatest shinobi is actually Naruto's godfather revamped her previous view of her blonde teammate. Being the smart that girl she was, Sakura started thinking about the famed Sannin. Aside from being a strong shinobi in his own right, Jiraiya also taught the Yondaime Hokage, Senju Minato – who looked awfully much like her teammate –.

Sakura blinked, trying to make sure her mind was not playing with her. Her _inner_ persona was more vocal and had woken her up. _**Holy fuck! Naruto is the Yondaime-sama's son! Cha!**_

Luckily, her _outer_ persona was more composed, but still exclaimed her shocking discovery. Or at least she tried.

"Naruto, you are the Yo-."

Kakashi was quick to intercept her, placing his hand on her shoulder, shaking her quickly. "Whatever conclusion you've come up with, Sakura – keep it to yourself. Understand?" Sakura nodded, but still, she threw a worried look towards Naruto, who was smirking at her realization.

Sasuke looked at him with narrowed eyes, seemingly he came to the same conclusion as Sakura did. Kakashi had advice for him as well.

"Same goes for you too, Sasuke. Anything you came up with - keep it to yourself." There was no fear that Sasuke would blabber out any of it, however.

"Do you think Hokage-sama will allow us to continue this mission?" Sakura asked her team.

"Most likely." Kakashi said right away. "Considering the country in trouble, this makes it personal for Konoha. Uzushiogakure was our ally after all. One that we failed to save. The least we could do is help the remnant of that country break free from the shackles of a tyrant."

Theam 7 nodded sitting near the fire once again.

"Sensei, you mentioned that Zabuza has another minion. Who is it?" Naruto asked.

"His name is Haku and he is the last member of the Yuki clan from the Kirigakure." Kakashi said. "He also possesses the Ice Release bloodline limit that was common in that clan."

To say his students were surprised was an understatement. Sasuke particularly. "What happened to that clan if he is the last member?"

Kakashi looked at him and answered. "It has been crippled in the last war and various inner conflicts within the Kiri itself. The boy was apparently found by Zabuza, who trained him both in the shinobi arts and _devotion_. The brothers didn't know all the details, but _were_ witness to the boy's abilities. Particularly something called the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals." He continued explaining the technique's use to his team in hopes if they would need to fight Haku – could at least have a chance of winning. Zabuza himself had troubles with that jutsu.

Maybe he was getting too paranoic. He knew that Naruto had a large arsenal of techniques in addition to his own practical abilities to use them in combat. They could beat him for sure. Especially collaboration combo of Naruto and Sasuke could prove itself damaging to their opponent.

_But._

He would hopefully get reinforcements, ANBU if he was lucky enough. Zabuza was also a former ANBU of Kirigakure and a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Title wasn't given on a whim to just anyone.

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura would protect Tazuna in case Gatō called more missing-nins to help Zabuza. Any shinobi Hokage-sama sends will be a welcome present. But Kakashi still hoped it would be some of his old ANBU colleagues.

Right at that moment, Naruto's personal summon appeared with a scroll in his hand.

"**Hey bro. Your Hokage ****has ****told me to give you this.**"

"Thanks, Gamakichi. You can go now." Naruto said as he took the scroll and gave it to Kakashi who proceeded to read the message.

"**Not a problem. Call me whenever you need help.**" The toad waved goodbye and went back to the Mount Myōboku.

"What does it say?" Sakura asked.

"We're in luck." Kakashi said, getting happy smiles from his team. "Hokage-sama allowed us to continue. And a team of ANBU will be on their way here soon. We'll wait for them here." _It will be good to see __Tenzō __and my team again. _Kakashi thought as the Hokage-sama informed him that Team Ro will be the back-up for this mission. Better safe than sorry.

Zabuza was infamous, even in Konoha for killing his old classmate Toriichi Kumade, a few years back. Kenjutsu was his strong side, as well as his combination of Kirigakure jutsu and Silent Killing. When the ANBU team arrives, they would need to form a strategy.

Just then Tazuna emerged from the bushes. "Oh man, I really needed to relieve myself. There's a stream back there," He pointed behind his back to the forest. "and there's no better feeling than to shoot some rain under the moon, I'll tell you that." The old man laughed at his own comment, proceeding to sit near the fire with Team 7, placing his manhood with his hand into the right position as he did. Something which made Sakura give him a disgusted look, which he apparently didn't notice.

"Oh man, I must admit, watching the shinobi battle in front of you is something else. Gets you really excited." Was the next comment from the laughing Tazuna.

_Excited? _Sakura raised her eyebrow, before another realization for that evening hit her. _**Who the hell gets excited watching people nearly get killed? Cha!**_

Sakura continued making faces of disgust, ignoring the look of bewilderment from the rest of the group. That is, until Kakashi coughed twice, getting her attention once more. However, he turned to Tazuna, addressing the bridge-builder. "Tazuna-san, Hokage-sama has given his permission to continue this mission. A team of the ANBU will join us in a few hours and tomorrow we will continue with our travel."

"Oh, that's great!" The old man exclaimed. "Thank you so much!"

"We do, however, expect from your country to pay the rest of the money for this mission, once you get the necessary income for it, that is. Are we clear?"

"Yes, yes. Of course!" Tazuna was still smiling.

"Well..." Kakashi said as he stood up, stretching his muscles a bit. "As we'll make a camp here, we should place some alarm seals around us. Naruto?"

"Here you go, sensei." Naruto said handing few papers to Kakashi. "I learned how to make them recently. It should help us more in the future."

"Thank you, Naruto." Kakashi said. "Sasuke, Sakura. Take some of them and place them there and there." He pointed to the two directions, while he went to another side of the clearing and Naruto to the last one.

"Okay. All in place?" His Genins nodded. "Turn them on, Naruto."

And he did. An invisible barrier appeared for a moment, before becoming invincible again. The alarm-seals were useful in the enemy territory as no one but the user could sense them, contrary to the barrier ninjutsu and barrier based seals that were visible and could be broken with enough power.

"If any significant chakra signature passes through them, it will alarm and wake me up right away. But we should still have someone awake to watch over, just in case." Naruto said.

"I'll take the first watch. The team sent here should arrive in about two hours at most. We've been traveling for eight hours, so they'll catch up to us in time."

The group went to set up their beds and go to sleep. Kakashi remained the only one awake, but was soon joined by Naruto, in about thirty minutes to his watch.

"Can't sleep?"

"I guess there's no point. I'll be awoken soon, anyway."

"I should have brought my own alarm-seals for this mission, sorry about that." Naruto waved it away.

"Doesn't matter, sensei. This should be good practice for my advancement in fūinjutsu."

"You have a point there."

Comfortable silence stretched for a minute or so.

"Are you okay with revealing Gamakichi to Sasuke and Sakura?" Kakashi asked. "The two of them figured it out right away."

"I don't mind." Naruto replied. "Neither of them will say anything. And it is better this way. If you already told them about the consequences of it's revealed when the time is not right."

"Hokage-sama was always on the look-out that someone could figure it out and send the information to the other villages. Or even that the Orochimaru could use it to his advantage somehow."

Naruto slowly nodded and looked towards the rest of the group. Sasuke and Sakura were sleeping peacefully, while Tazuna was already snoring.

"Guess the knowledge we'll protect him till the end with more support, really upped his spirit, don't you think?" Naruto commented.

"It really did."

"By the way." Said Kakashi. "Mind telling me, what was with the tense atmosphere when I got to the bridge today?"

"I don't know either, sensei." Naruto confessed. "I think Sasuke really needs someone to talk to more often. I think you could help him the most, sensei."

Kakashi sighed. "I guess I will need to. He refused any counseling after the massacre. He is more open now, so it will be easier for me."

"I thi- They're here." Naruto went to say something, but the alarm-seals told him a group of five shinobi passed the barrier.

"You have a good student out there, Kakashi-senpai." A woman with a purple hair and cat mask commented as she and the other four ANBU's joined them near the fire._ Kō – codename Fox the Captain. Tenzō – codename Tiger, the second in command. Yūgao – codename Cat. Daisuke – codename Boar. Amachi – codename Eagle._

"Good student is the result of a good sensei, wouldn't you agree?" Kakashi said with his eye-smile.

"You're not slacking off with their training?" The Tiger said.

"Is there are reason I should?"

"We are having bets between ourselves on when the first complaint about your tardiness will reach the Hokage-sama."

"I'm honestly hurt that my old team has so little faith in me."

The fox-masked ANBU, Kō, snorted at that. Being the captain of the Team Ro, he was first to change the subject straight to the point. "If you're done joking around we should talk about why we're here and not currently in our beds – sleeping."

"Right." Kakashi turned serious, to his infamous Anbu mode. "Hokage-sama already told you why, I assume?" _Of course he did. _TheANBU's nodded in any case, something which Kakashi was grateful for.

"We are dealing with Momochi Zabuza and his aide, Yuki Haku. The boy of around fifteen years of age, with the Ice Release bloodline limit." Kakashi began, while his new support digested the news. The bulky Boar Anbu whistled lowly at that.

"Plenty of dead clans emerging lately, don't you think?"

"Focus on the task, Boar. Living the history will come later." Captain Fox scolded.

"You're no fun, captain." The Boar pouted. _A jester of the team. _Naruto remembered.

"Any particular abilities of the Ice Release we should know of? You have the _Uchiha_ on your team, so fire should not be a problem." The Fox commented, pointing on the sleeping Sasuke. Yet, he didn't need to say it like that. But the Captain Fox wasn't known as the 'Tobirama-Second' for no reason. A nickname he was given by Naruto in reality, as the Team Ro was the team who guarded Naruto part-time when Kosuke was away. So Naruto knew some bits and pieces about them from their time together.

"Please keep your opinion for yourself, _Captain._" Kakashi began. "Mission is not a time for personal prejudice to cloud our judgment." He told him seriously.

"Whatever." Fox crossed his arms and kept silent for the next five minutes as Kakashi explained some elements of the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals that he gathered from the memories of the Demon brothers.

"I'd say the speed and reaction are the elements we need the most." Tiger said. "Did you gather any strategies that Zabuza uses in battle, senpai?"

"He usually fights by himself, head-on. Haku is hidden in the backround and acts as his support if anything goes wrong."

"So how do we approach them?"

"I have an idea." Naruto said.

The adults looked at him, with Captain Fox being the one to motion him to go on. "I will make five shadow clones, with four of them transformed into my team and Tazuna. It should give us an opening at least for a moment. Neither Zabuza or Haku are sensors, right?"

"There was nothing to suggest they were." Kakashi answered. "But, it should give us an opening. My team can guard Tazuna, while we deal with Zabuza and Haku. Cat is also a sensor. So she can pinpoint where Haku is hiding within the mirrors."

"Understood." Cat stated.

"Now. Let us go with potential strategies regarding their general abilities. Naruto, at least one of your clones should stay close to us to disperse Zabuza's mist."

"Should we wake Sasuke-san and Sakura-san?" The Eagle asked.

Kakashi considered this for a moment. "No. Let them sleep. We'll brief them in the morning."

The next day, Sasuke and Sakura were told of the plan and both of them accepted it, Sasuke grudgingly. They were also introduced with the ANBU team that was sent there as a support. Tazuna was having exhilarations from this development. Although, he was not very happy once he was taken by a Boar and carried in-arms, when they jumped across the sea to the Land of Waves.

_*Puke* _

Tazuna emptied his stomach as soon as they landed on the ground.

"Sorry about that, old man," Boar said. "But we couldn't waste our time."

"You could have warned me, at least!" Tazuna grumbled.

"What's done is done." Captain Fox said. "Tazuna-san. In which direction is your house?"

"To the north." Tazuna pointed out. "It's about half a kilometer from here."

Naruto in the meantime placed his finger on the ground and focused on his senses as Tazuna directed them. Opening his eyes, he addressed the group. "There are two chakra signatures in about two hundred meters from here to the north."

"But my house is that way!" Tazuna exclaimed, worried.

Kakashi placed his hand on his shoulder. "Tazuna-san, calm down. Allow us to deal with this."

The old man nodded and Kakashi addressed Naruto next. "Naruto make five of your shadow clones and have them transform as we agreed."

Making a sign for a shadow clone jutsu – Naruto made five of his identical copies, four of whom transformed into one Team 7 member and Tazuna."

"You three stay here and guard Tazuna. Clones go first."

* * *

**With Zabuza, near the lake**

A Genin team was sent to protect the bridge-builder from him. _Nothing too dangerous. _Or so Zabuza had thought from his hiding spot in the trees. That was until he recognized the silver-haired man among them.

_Hatake Kakashi... _Zabuza narrowed his eyes.

_Jackpot. _The Demon of the Mist thought as he observed Hatake's Genin team. _But something feels strange here..._While not a naturally born sensor, Zabuza did train to feel the other's chakra. It was necessary, given his use of the Silent Killing technique.

He continued watching them as they approached closer, analyzing them as he did. When they got close enough, he decided to reveal himself sending his Kubikiribōchō flying towards them, but they managed to evade it as they laid down to the ground.

_Fair enough. _He thought as he jumped to his blade that was pinned to the tree.

"Momochi Zabuza." Kakashi said. "Your fight is with me!" He finished, charging towards him with one kunai.

_The hell is he planning? _Konoha-nins were infamous for their planning and strategizing, not charging head-on.

Kakashi's kunai clashed with him and Zabuza took his blade right away to protect himself from Hatake's attack. It wasn't hard to do it. For a moment, Zabuza thought he would win this battle easily.

His dream was crushed as soon as he saw Kakashi smirking at him.

_What?_

An explosion that came from Hatake, took Zabuza by surprise and he barely managed to evade much damage from it as he jumped back towards the lake.

"A shadow clone?!" He questioned loudly. "An exploding shadow clone?!"

"Correct." Kakashi's voice came from behind him, causing Zabuza to turn around and see two more figures alongside the copy ninja. While the other three appeared in front of the Genins and the bridge builder.

"So Konoha has sent an ANBU team to support you? I must say I'm flattered." Zabuza said sarcastically.

_It seems Haku will have to join sooner._

"That's fair. But wouldn't you agree that we should even the odds a bit, Hatake?" The man in question remained silent, his Sharingan now revealed as he looked at Zabuza's back.

"It is easy when you have the village behind your back to support you, isn't it?" Zabuza began. "You have a stable job, a normal Kage." He snorted at such a notion. "In my case; It takes months to find a rich customer and seconds to lose him. I'm not wasting this chance away, Hatake!"

For Haku, this was the signal and he appeared at the side of his master.

"It seems you needed my help after all, Zabuza-sama." The Ice user said.

"Tche. Don't have much choice. As you can see for yourself."

Opposing ninja's continued looking at each other, before Zabuza spoke to Haku. "You take care of the three Anbu's in front of you. They shouldn't be much of a problem with your Ice Mirrors. I'll deal with Hatake and the other two." _I hope. _

"Understood, Zabuza-sama!"

"Kirigakure jutsu!" Zabuza exclaimed and the mist started forming around everyone present. But then, to both Zabuza's and Haku's surprise, Tazuna stepped forward.

"I don't think so, you renegades!" He shouted, proceeding to do a few hand signs and exclaiming. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Naruto's clone disguised as Tazuna breathed and then blown away a massive wind from his mouth dispersing Zabuza's mist.

"What the fuck!?" Zabuza questioned, fuming. "When the fuck did that old fart learn ninjutsu?"

He didn't get the chance of getting an answer, an attack came from Kakashi and the other two ANBU's. It wasn't an elemental attack at least. A normal hand-to-hand combat. He went to a defensive position.

Haku in the meantime surrounded the three other Anbu's in his Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals. "You will never escape this technique. Surrender the bridge-builder now, and I will let you go."

"I'm afraid we can't do that, Haku-san." Tiger replied. "Cat, can you sense him?"

The woman nodded. "I can. But we'll still need an opening."

Tiger nodded. "Eagle and I will create a diversion. You take him out as soon as you get a chance. Any advice?"

"Seven o'clock, mirror in the middle is the real one." Cat whispered and Tiger nodded.

"Let's go, Tiger." Eagle said. Both of them attacked the mirrors in the opposite direction of each other. With Tiger going with the Cat's advice.

But as he struck the mirror with his blade, the mirror shattered – only for a moment – and was quickly restored to its previous form. Haku in the meantime escaped to another mirror quickly, but revealed his minor weakness as he was robbed of his mirrors quickly and with that – an opportunity to escape with more ease.

"Any other idea?" Tiger asked as he and Eagle jump back to their female teammate.

"I can trace the pattern of his movements." Cat said. Tiger and Eagle listened to her closely. "Attack his mirrors once again. He moves directly to the mirror right in front of his own where he previously was. Only when he is cornered he moves to the one from the side of his current mirror."

"So you can attack him directly once he is out of his mirror? But only when he is cornered, he needs to move to the mirrors that are either left or right to his side – not directly in front of him."

"Right. You'll g-. Wait, he's preparing for an attack!"

"Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!" Haku whispered as the large amount of needles flew towards the Konoha-nins from all sides.

"I'll take care of it." Tiger quickly said. "Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall!" A wooden dome appeared around the three Anbu's, protecting them from the needle-attack, Haku had sent towards them. "Once you release the dome – attack right away. Don't waste any moment!"

Tiger released his jutsu and went for an attack, just like the Eagle did, in their respective directions. As Haku continued moving from the mirror to mirror – occasionally throwing some senbons in hope of defeating his opponent – Cat saw her chance and went for an attack with her sword. But before she could land a hit on the Yuki boy – once again, a wooden pillar appeared around her, but this time there was a large cleaver pinning through the wood to her right side, just inches away from her neck.

_That was close. _Cat thought as the sweat dripped down her forehead, under the mask. _I nearly died._

**==With Zabuza and the other group at the same time==**

Zabuza was not enjoying this development. First, he didn't expect Konoha to send an ANBU team to protect _one_ bridge-builder in addition to Hatake Kakashi, another former Black Ops member.

He managed to evade most of their attacks. All three of them could use the Water element, but so could he. Yet, he was cornered no matter what.

"Damn you!" Zabuza grumbled as he was sent flying back by the bulky ANBU. He landed on the water near the coast. Behind him were the Haku's mirrors. If Haku dealt with the other three ANBU's quickly, this could already be over.

However.

Zabuza could see that Haku was struggling with his opponents. As he shoot another glance towards his companion, Zabuza saw that he would not be able to avoid the sword-attack by that purple-haired woman. Quickly gathering his strength he threw his Kubikiribōchō to the direction where the ANBU woman would be in that precise moment.

Zabuza cursed his bad luck, as a wooden wall appeared and stopped his massive cleaver from killing that ANBU woman. But at least his weapon was secured.

"Wood style?" He questioned surprised. "Another Senju lives?" He did not have the time to think about it, as two ANBU's flanked him from both sides, tying him up with their chains.

_That's adorable. _He smirked beneath his mask, while he replaced himself with a water clone that was nearby, just the moment before Hatake could slice his throat with his kunai. Now all he had to do was to take Haku with him and flee. There was no one better than him in that regard. Fleeing from Yagura in the first place gave him enough experience with that for the rest of his life.

**==In Haku's mirrors==**

"Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall!" Tiger exclaimed as he saw an attack being directed towards his teammate. He managed to save Yūgao in time as his wood protected her. She quickly composed herself and appeared next to him as Eagle joined in as well – followed by Kakashi, Fox, and Boar.

Zabuza grabbed Haku at the same time with his sword.

"Forgive me, Zabuza-sama. I was careless." Haku apologized.

"Tch. Doesn't matter. I wouldn't win anyway. We'll fall back!" _For Now._ His word was final. He may have lost the battle, but not the war.

Zabuza and Haku disappeared in a body-flicker right away.

"Can you sense them?" Kakashi quickly asked Yūgao.

"I can, but they're moving too fast for us to reach them. We could chase them, but it's a matter of time before they escape the reach of my sensory abilities."

Kakashi continued looking at the place from where Zabuza and Haku disappeared. "They will return to finish the job, that's for sure."

The others nodded.

"Naruto. Dispel those clones. You four can come out now."

About five minutes later, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Tazuna joined them.

"Is there any reason why Gatō might think, that Tazuna here is a trained shinobi?" Boar asked him.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I just wanted to mess with him a little."

"What are you guys talking about?" Tazuna joined in, visibly confused.

"We'll tell you later. Can you lead us to your home now?"

"Sure."

* * *

**At Tazuna's house**

"Father. You came back!" A pretty young woman said happily as she approached and hugged Tazuna.

"You didn't doubt it, did you Tsunami?" Tazuna smiled as he hugged his daughter. "I brought shinobis of Konoha to help us out." He pointed to the group that followed him to the house.

"Oh. My apologies for not noticing you earlier. Thank you for protecting my father." Tsunami said, bowing gratefully.

"It was nothing. Part of our job after all. We couldn't leave his daughter without a father now, could we?" Kakashi said, a bit too friendly to the rest of the group as they watched the interaction.

"Is he hitting on her?" Sakura whispered to Naruto.

"Probably."

"Tazuna-san, Tsunami-san." Captain Fox started. "We would appreciate it if you would show us where we will be staying for the time being. We also need to formulate a new strategy regarding Zabuza and Gatō."

"What'd you plan to do with him?" Tazuna asked as he led them to the living room.

"Hokage-sama gave as an optional mission, that is if we get a chance to eliminate the man. We will begin our search tomorrow."

"Someone will need to stay with Tazuna and the other workers near the bridge." Kakashi said. "It is best if my team and I do it. You can search for Gatō and Zabuza. If you find them. Just send someone for me and I'll come to help."

"This isn't one of your slacking off moments, senpai?" Yūgao asked.

"Nope." Kakashi said, smiling. "Just doing my part of the mission, while you do yours."

Captain Fox snorted at that. "Whatever. By the way, Kakashi. We'll still need the blondie to come with us." At that Naruto perked up. Working with the Anbu's at his age was an honor not many received.

"May I know why?" Kakashi asked, raising his eyebrow.

"We will split into two teams and search through the archipelago. Me, Cat, and Eagle will be one team with Tiger, Boar, and Naruto the other. Both Cat and him are sensors, so it will alarm either of us if Zabuza is somewhere nearby."

"-Inari, where have you've been all this time?" They heard Tsunami scolding someone and a reply of. "At the town, mom."

They turned around towards the door of the living room and saw a little boy with a hat walking towards Tazuna, giving him a welcoming hug, in a detached tone. "Welcome home, grandpa."

"It's sure good to be back. I'm glad you're okay, Inari." The boy just shot a challenging look to the Konoha group which was silent as the family affair went on.

"Is there a problem?" Boar, never the one for formalities, asked. Propelling Yūgao to give him a small elbow kick to the ribs, but the man didn't budge.

"Who are they, grandpa?"

"These are the ninja that will protect me 'till I finish the bridge, Inari." Tazuna said happily before his mood soured at Inari's next words.

"What's the point? They're going to die anyway." Inari said, leaving the Konoha-nin's in silence.

"What's up with him?" Boar asked, once again. Team 7 remained silent as Tazuna had already told them why the young boy was so nihilistic.

"Let's just rest for today. We all have our duties tomorrow." Kakashi said. "Naruto. You and Yūgao will place the various security seals around the house. Just to be sure that either Zabuza or Gatō do not meddle while the rest of us are out.

"Understood sensei/senpai." Said Naruto and Yūgao in unison.

* * *

**At Zabuza's hideout**

"What do you mean you failed!?" Gatō shouted at Zabuza who sat on the couch in front of him – angry that his investment was wasted like this. "I asked you to get rid of that old fart. How hard could it get?" He asked him, before looking around, seeing only Haku who stood beside Zabuza. "And where are those other two idiots of yours? So-called '_Demon brothers_'."

"The bridge-builder managed to get help from Konoha. They had sent him reinforcements in addition to Hatake Kakashi." Zabuza said, thinking back about the skirmish near the lake. As much as he hated to admit, he couldn't beat them, even with Haku. "Gōzu and Meizu are probably dead as well..."

"Tch. I knew you shinobis are nothing but talk. You pride yourself in your prowess, yet you ran with tail between your legs." Gatō complained.

Zabuza growled and released a bit of his chakra in order to scare the businessman, who whimpered, along with his two bodyguards.

Yet, as much as he hated him, Zabuza also needed him if he ever wanted to overthrow Yagura. This_ midget has the money necessary for another revolution. Successful revolution this time._ Maybe he could kill him and take the money, leaving Hatake to finish his mission and to never see him again.

But the feeling of humiliation overwhelmed him and his blood cried for vengeance.

Even if he did kill Gatō here, knowledge that he ran from few Konoha-nins will be another blight to his reputation, that was already on the bottom-line, ever since he fled Kirigakure.

_No!_

He will finish this, one way or another. "I have a proposition for you." He told Gatō.

"What? I have a half of mind to cancel our deal. Maybe someone else is more credible. Like this _Akatsuki_ organization." The greedy midget taunted him.

"Suit yourself. But tell me this: How will you hire them if you're dead? Fire me and they will come for you right after. " He couldn't help but allow a wicked grin to appear on his face, under his bandages – as he saw Gatō shaking. Even a Hatake's Genin could kill this bastard, but a bit of lying was never an unwelcome approach for him.

"So what should I do then!?" He shouted. "They'll kill me. And all my hard work will be for nothing. Tell me! What should I do?" He asked him frantically and Zabuza couldn't help but laugh outright.

"Oh. Now you're willing to listen? I think that will require at least half of the money to be deposited in advance. Just to be-."

"Fine," Gatō muttered, glaring at Zabuza. "But you're staying with me, until this mess is over."

"Sure." Zabuza agreed cheerfully, before turning back to his _demon _persona. "Now will you listen to my plan, or will you continue to bitch around?"

"Of course not!" Gatō shook his head in negative, in fear. "You were saying?"

* * *

**With Naruto and his group**

"No traces of Zabuza or Haku on this island." Naruto said. They had just finished searching the last island they were supposed to scout.

"He couldn't just disappear like that, could he?" Tiger asked.

"And we haven't found anything about Gatō either. Did he leave this country already?" Boar joined in.

"He doesn't sound like someone who would flee just like that. Although we must not dismiss such a possibility." Tiger said.

"Where should we go next? We have already scouted our sectors." Boar said.

"Maybe we can find more informations in the local town?" Naruto suggested.

"Fine, but the two of us will remain in shadows." Tiger said after a while.

"Sure." Naruto replied, but then he recalled something about the Tiger that he never asked. "Tiger-san."

"Yes, Naruto-san?"

"What is your relation to me?" He decided to ask bluntly, making both Tiger and Boar tense for a mere moment. "I wasn't entirely sure before. Back in Konoha, whenever I used my sensory abilities, I would sense the chakra very similar to my own. And it came from you."

Boar looked towards his teammate, deciding to stay silent for this conversation. "Naruto-san, I'm not allowed to disclose any informations regarding that. If you want to learn more, you will have to speak with the Hokage-sama directly. But I'm in no way a member of your clan. Origins of my wood style are... rather unorthodox, to say the least."

"I see..." He was disgruntled for a moment, before pushing the thought out of his head. "Let's go and check the town."

When they arrived on the outskirts, they met the other team, apparently waiting for them.

"So you three had the same idea as we did." Captain Fox stated. "I guess you found nothing in your sectors?"

"We didn't." Tiger answered. "We thought that at least some information would be available in the town."

"Don't bother." Fox said. "We already gathered everything we could."

That caught Naruto, Tiger, and Boar by surprise. "And what did you find?" Naruto asked.

"Gatō has nulled his contract with Zabuza and has fled back to his homeland in the Land of Hot Water. As of now, he is out of our reach."

"We could chase after him, right? He can always come back here once we leave and restart his criminal activities."

"He could," Fox confirmed. "But we can't even be sure if he has gone to that country. It will be like goose chase at best."

Naruto frowned, but Captain Fox had more to say. "Look, kid. I know you want the best thing for this country. We all do." The rest of them nodded. "But there are certain rules _all_ _must_ _follow_, and that is: 'A shinobi must always put the mission first'. You do understand that?"

"I do." And he did. Naruto wanted to pride himself in the shinobi knowledge he possessed. But he didn't want for a remnant of his mother's homeland to suffer, _again_.

"Tazuna-san has told us last night in detail about his plans regarding the bridge."

"Yeah. He told my team as well when we found out the truth. But I'm not sure this country will be safe after we leave. There is nothing that can stop Gatō from taking over with no ninjas around."

"Tazuna believes that the bridge will not only raise the spirit of the people and faith in a better future, but also a willingness to resist any future oppression."

"And you believe that?" Granted, that is one possibility, but. If Gatō hired Zabuza the first time, there was nothing stopping him from hiring shinobis again. But the Captain Fox didn't budge.

"We don't _know_ when Gatō might strike again. If we had found him here – he would be eliminated on spot. However. Now we must think outside of the box. As the Hokage-sama gave us an optional task of eliminating him, all we can do for now is wait."

"I understand." Conceded Naruto. He knew that what the ANBU Captain said was true. The current priority is to defend Tazuna as he is constructing his bridge.

"If it makes it any easier..." Fox trailed off. "I can speak with the Hokage-sama and ask him to allow you to come with us to hunt him down."

"Really?" The opportunity of doing missions with Anbu's at his age was rarely, if never given to anyone. Naruto knew of only a few Anbu's at his age. Itachi Uchiha being one of them. Something which other members of Team Ro decided to point out.

"Naruto is a Senju, not an _Uchiha_. He already passed a psychological test in my book." Fox said, stubbornly.

"You are having a vendetta against a dead clan, Captain. I thi-." Cat said, trying to play the rationality card.

"Enough about that." He ordered and Naruto wondered if he was missing something _deeper_ here. Grudges could be held by the two families, but he didn't what enmity Captain Fox, Kō held against them.

He knew that the Uchiha's weren't that liked by the shinobi population, who considered their abilities as _cheating_. Naruto himself didn't have a very positive opinion of them. One of them nearly ruined his childhood, _even more_, his son is a member of the organization that would basically leave him dead, if they caught him.

The third one was decent, if a bit closed off. Sasuke was probably the only reason why he didn't outright hate the clan. At least both of them could sympathize with each other, on a certain level.

"Let's go and see how Kakashi is doing." Fox said.

"Probably reading his favorite book. What else?"

* * *

**At the bridge construction's site**

Guarding a bunch of construction workers and watching them do their job is not the way Sasuke had imagined, saving a country would go by. When he suggested that they continue the mission, despite getting upgraded to a higher rank, he never would have guessed it would go like this.

Boring.

"Try meditating." Kakashi said, not lifting his head from his book.

"Why?" Sasuke looked at him. He already did that plenty of time. But Kakashi's suggestion must have had its reason.

"It will calm you down a bit. I know this isn't how you imagined the mission would go, but... not everything is hack and slash, Sasuke."

"Then why can Naruto go with the ANBU's and I can't!?"

At this, Kakashi closed his book and sighed. _Why are the Uchiha's so complicated? _He thought. Sometimes, honesty was better than lying, even if his profession prided itself in the latter.

"Because your brother was one." Kakashi said, bluntly, and Sasuke widened his eyes at his response. Of course he knew his brother was an ANBU. Something he always bragged about early on during the Academy. _Before that fateful day._

"So you think I might end up just like Itachi then? Am I correct?" Sasuke growled, lowering his head as Kakashi couldn't pick his real reaction from hair-covered eyes.

"Will you?"

"What?" The first blunt response took him off guard, the second did as well.

"Will you become like your brother?" Kakashi insisted.

"No!" Was the quick response.

"Well. You're acting like him. Sometimes." A blatant lie. But necessary. However. It wasn't far from the truth. Itachi was quiet, yes. A man who kept his emotions in check, yes. Hidden for most of the time. Curious as well, but not someone who would _leak_ any information about himself. It was something that many of his colleagues were wondering about. Despite their differences, Kakashi couldn't help himself but compare the two brothers. "Don't worry. You aren't that similar to him, but you have your moments when I wonder..."

That calmed Sasuke a bit. He decided to ask something that bugged him for the past few days. "Regarding Naruto..." Sasuke began. "He really is a Senju?" It wasn't hard to figure it out. Godfather, the toad contract, blonde hair, just like the Yondaime's. Even without the first two, he wondered how no-one figured it out sooner. Himself included.

"I can neither confirm it nor deny it. Orders from the Hokage-sama himself. You do know what that means, Sasuke?"

"I won't tell anyone." _It's not like I have anyone to tell it..._

"If you want to talk more about it, you will have to speak with Naruto, first."

"Hn." It was hard to imagine his teammate was also from a deceased clan. Just like him. Yet as much as Sasuke felt anger when he remembered his condition, he felt at ease knowing there was someone else like him.

Naruto was possibly the only person who could understand him fully. Maybe that's why he was friendly towards him, despite their dead family history. _Ironic._

He wondered if Naruto thought of it as well that way. Hard times breed strong men. For all their family rivalry that he didn't care about, both of them were in hard positions – and a part of Sasuke was glad that Naruto was his teammate, possibly the closest thing he had to a friend. Yesterday's rivalry could easily become the greatest tool for one's progress, tomorrow.

As he thought about it, a voice of Itachi whispered inside his head.

_Kill your..._

Sasuke shook his head, pushing the memory out. He sat in a meditating position.

"Enjoying the guard duty, Kakashi-senpai?" Sasuke turned around and saw the ANBU group and Naruto with them.

"I'll have to treat Kotetsu and Izumo sometimes. They really are heroes of our village." Kakashi replied back.

"Anything new here?" Naruto asked Sasuke as he jumped near him.

"No." Sasuke answered. "Just Sakura helping the workers out there." He pointed towards their pink teammate, who when she saw Naruto return, decided to take a break.

"You're finished already?"

"We found nothing, it seems that Gatō has fled the country and fired Zabuza. Rumor has spread around the town, already."

"Really?" This time it was Tazuna who shoot the question, as he approached the group, sweeping the sweat from his forehead as he did.

Naruto as well as the ANBU's nodded. "That's great! It means that my bridge is really scaring him off!" He laughed. "You hear that, everyone?" He said to his workers. "The tyrant has fled the country. I told you this would work! Didn't I tell you?" He bragged to his workers who erupted in a happy cheer as the news spread.

"So he really fired Zabuza... and fled the country..." Kakashi mused.

"We found Zabuza's bandages in his hideout on a small remote island." Fox pointed out as he took the sweaty gauze from his holster and showed it.

"We also scouted an abandoned castle nearby," Tiger said. "Traces inside suggested that it was populated until very recently since the floor as well as everything else was clean from the dust."

Boar nodded. "There was also a safe that was emptied, but left opened. Everything else was taken as well. No documents or anything else was found inside. No weapons, no food, no clothes..."

"So he really did flee." Kakashi concluded. Tactical retreat didn't always include taking everything with you as you flee. Survival instinct picked up his love for the wealth as well. "But nothing suggests he won't return once we leave. He will need to be eliminated in any case." Judging from the man's personality, that was an option. Yet the first point outweighed the second.

Captain Fox nodded. "I thought so as well. It won't be hard to find him and the Hokage-sama himself will probably sanction this endeavor."

"I think so as well." Kakashi said.

"Naruto here, has suggested we chase after him... But you know that it isn't certain he fled towards his homeland. Right?"

"Indeed..." Kakashi said. "He could even go to the Land of Woods, to the south, or the Land of Water to the east. Nothing is sure."

"I said so as well." Captain Fox confirmed. "Naruto suggested we chase after him. We could do that, If we knew for sure that he fled to his homeland."

"Do you think he will return to the Wave after we leave?"

"There is a such possibility, yes. But." The ANBU captain said. "He _should_ know about the dangers of returning to this country. He would place a large target on his head if he did."

"Yes. He _should_ know that." Konoha had an alliance with the Uzushiogakure. Gatō has drawn the ire of the strongest of the Great Five. He probably didn't even know that. If he did - he would have stayed away from this country at all costs in the **first place**.

"In any case, all we can do for now is wait for Tazuna to finish his bridge. After that, we return to Konoha and begin a search for him."

"I can't help but think we're missing something here. Yes. Tazuna-san did say that Gatō does hate dealing with ninjas because we're too expensive. From what we know of his personality, it isn't far from the truth that he could nullify his contract with Zabuza."

"Correct." Fox said. "But why would Zabuza _accept_ being fired? Is that what troubles you?"

"Yes."

Captain Fox sighed under his mask. "We will search tomorrow, _again_. Just to be sure he is not in this country anymore."

"It's best if you do."

* * *

**Islands north to the Land of Wave**

"Uzushiogakure no Sato." Zabuza muttered as he looked around.

"Ye. This was the village that your former home has destroyed, right?" Gatō said as he walked beside him through the ruins of the former Konoha's ally. They had just landed on the shores of the ruined hidden village and were walking throughout the streets, looking at the ruined buildings.

"No." Zabuza said as he kicked Uzushio's forehead protector away in front of him. "Kumogakure helped as well. Albeit, they wanted to harvest Uzumaki's blood for their breeding program."

"And? Did they succeed in their plans? I remember seeing those fiery Uzumaki women once. Can't say I blame you shinobis for wanting to _harvest _them." Gatō said, laughing at his own joke.

Zabuza on the other hand didn't, remaining serious. "As far as I know, they did not." They stopped in front of the small monument at the center of the village. The monument itself was a statue of the two shinobis shaking hands. One had Uzushio's symbol on his forehead, while the other had the symbol of the Senju clan.

"The only people who got the chance to breed with the Uzumaki's were their own and Senju's. But both of them are dead now." Zabuza said as he looked at the monument. He pondered that the monument represented the close family ties between the two clans and their alliance that always had the others back, in the time of the greatest need. But as the Senju's have largely died out by the time of Uzushio's destruction, so have the hope of the clan's survival against their enemies.

And not even the Senju's artificial creation of Konoha could have helped them. "Uzumaki women that remained in the village all killed their children once they figured out that the end was near. And then they killed themselves. _The Uzumaki fury_, Kumo called it later on."

"So none of them survived?"

"Some did." Zabuza answered. "Uzumaki Kushina in particular. She was very ruthless against Kumogakure shinobis during the Third War from what I know. There were probably more survivors out there, but they went into hiding."

"Boss!" Zabuza turned around to see one of Gatō's thugs running towards them.

"What is it, Waraji?"

"Mizuharu has contacted us. He was able to spread the rumors as you wanted. Tazuna has gotten much more workers on his bridge."

Gatō snarled. "Let them gloat while they can, I'll show them one day!" He turned to his bodyguard once again. "Tell him, that he should inform me the moment Konoha-nins leave. Not a second later or sooner. You got that?"

"Whatever you say, boss." Waraji grinned and then left.

"Damn those Konoha pests. As soon as they are gone, I'm going to make an example of the Wave..." The businessman continued to grumble as Zabuza watched in silence. He didn't care about Gatō or whether he would survive Konoha's retaliation. He just wanted to finish this mission and continue on with his ambition.

Konoha would _no doubt_ hunt his employer more adamantly, if he goes with his plans eventually, either way. He wondered if he should advise him not to rush things so quickly, but discarded the idea. If Gatō had a death wish, then so be it. As soon as the man paid him, he would leave this country and never look back. By the time Konoha finds out about this, he would _hopefully_ become a new Mizukage already.

"Whatever. Me and Haku will find our own place on this island. Do not disturb me until the mission starts again. You got it?"

"R-right. Take your time."

As he walked towards one of the buildings with Haku by his side, Zabuza remembered something from the fight with Konoha-nins.

"Haku." He said.

"Yes, Zabuza-sama?"

"You fought with that Wood Style, Konoha ANBU. Did you find anything interesting about him as you fought?"

"No, sir. He barely used the Wood Style in our fight. Only to create a defensive barrier from my attacks."

"Tch."

"What are you thinking about, sir?"

"Either the Yondaime Hokage had a bastard son along the way, somewhere, or Konoha is more secretive than Kirigakure itself."

* * *

**At the Land of Fire's side of the bridge**

The construction of the bridge was finished within the week. With more workers offering their help, the construction was speed-up and the bridge was eventually finished.

Captain Fox suggested that they should stay a week more, just to be sure. But there was no sign of either Zabuza or Gatō.

A week later, the Konoha group stood at the Land of Fire's side of the bridge with Tazuna, his family and various other citizens of the Land of Waves bidding their goodbye.

"I cannot thank you and your village enough for helping us, Kakashi-san." Tazuna said. "I don't know what would have happened if you weren't here. I promise you. We will repay the money we owe, in time."

"Oh, no need to fret about that Tazuna-san. We were just doing our job. And we'll make sure that Gatō does not return again once we're back in Konoha."

"Hah. Even if he does return, the people will not succumb to his will again! That's for sure!" Tazuna boasted in his usual bravado. He motioned for his grandson to move forward. Inari looked to the ground, not wanting to face the shinobi. A move that caused Tazuna to bonk him on his head.

"I'm sorry for being such pain to you guys." The little boy apologized. For the duration of their stay at Tazuna's house, Inari would occasionally try to bait the shinobi into argument about heroes. Something that was ignored by the group, causing him to cry. He was happy once the bridge was finished, however. Seeing the few people scare the tyrant into running, brought a belief that heroes might exist to the child. "And thank you for saving my grandpa."

"Really, thank you for saving my father, Kakashi-san. I don't know what would have happened if you weren't here." Tsunami said to Kakashi, sweetly, who in turn scratched his masked cheek in embarrassment.

"We were just doing our duty."

"Hh. If the duty consisted of moans during the night." (4) Sakura whispered to Naruto who raised his eyebrow at her.

"Jealous?"

"No way!"

"We'll see you some other time, Tazuna-san." Kakashi said as they bid goodbye.

* * *

**With Gatō**

"Boss," Waraji said as he approached Gatō. "A messenger bird from Mizuharu has arrived."

"Give it to me!" The small man said, impatiently, as he took the letter from his bodyguard's hands.

"Good." A wicked grin crept on his face. "Gather the men and call Zabuza. It is time to act now."

"Um, boss. Shouldn't we wait for at least some time before the Konoha group leave the Wave to be su-."

"Shut up! I give the orders and you obey. Now go!"

"Yes, _sir_." Waraji sneered. As long as he got the pay, it was good.

"Tazuna, I'll show you what happens when someone humiliates me." The shipping magnate chuckled as he crumpled the letter in his hands.

* * *

**With Konoha's shinobi**

They decided to go at a normal pace back to Konoha. It would take them three days at least to reach their home.

"I can't believe the mission turned out so easy. I mean, who would have guessed that Gatō would simply flee?" Sakura wondered out loud as they sat by the road to have lunch.

"Not every mission goes with the way we intend. And this time, our target's survival instinct overcame his pride and self-confidence." The ANBU member Cat, answered.

"I suppose..."

"I wonder where Zabuza went? He is still a missing-nin in Kirigakure." Eagle said from the side.

"We haven't heard anything about the inner workings of Kiri in a long time. Nothing but unconfirmed rumors." Captain Fox added his two cents.

"Like what?" Naruto asked this time. Kirigakure was an interesting place for him to research on, due to having various bloodlines among many things.

"Rumor that the Yondaime Mizukage is dead."

"Really? So how come nothing came out? I thought they would be ecstatic to reveal that?" Stories about the tyrannical reign of his fellow Jinchūriki reached even him. For a time, since he found out about it, Naruto _was _afraid that he could end up like him. A tyrant or a madman. On the other hand, it was also inspiring to an eight-year-old, when Jiraiya told him that the Kirigakure's Mizukage was a Jinchūriki like him. Show's it that your status can be bypassed by others and for them to view you differently. Although, what Yagura did was not something that Naruto aspired to become like.

As he ate his meal, a sudden flair of chakra had hit him, or better said, an alarm from the seals. His mind ran fast, to pinpoint where it could come from. His home perhaps? No. There are double alarm-seals there and the old man will deal with that if there is a problem. Yet, as he discarded that possibility, another one had passed through him.

"Tazuna's house." Both he and ANBU Cat said in unison. The two of them had placed the alarm-seals around Tazuna's home and did not remove them before they left. The seals were alarmed because of the two significant chakra signatures. Two familiar chakra signatures.

"Zabuza and Haku have returned." He said and Cat nodded.

"Quickly, get ready. We're going back to Wave." Kakashi ordered.

"He returned rather fast to the Wave, don't you think so?" Boar asked, serious for the situation at hand.

"Indeed." Captain Fox answered. "I don't know if it's pride, greed or simple foolishness."

"All three, maybe?"

"It doesn't matter." Fox said. "We need to hurry. I have a bad feeling about this." His usual stoic voice was still in place, but there was a sense of worry in it.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura. You three will deal with any of the Gatō's thugs we encounter. Let me and the ANBU deal with Zabuza and Haku. Understand?"

"Yes, sensei." The three Genins answered.

It took them a day to return to the Wave. And the sight that welcomed them was not something that either of Kakashi's Genins would ever forget. The bridge was completely destroyed, with only remnants of it still floating above the water, with the bases of the bridge being the most memorable part of the remaining monument to the resistance of the people.

"Zabuza and Haku are still here." Naruto snarled as he sensed those two chakra signatures present. A rage like never before started overwhelming him. Memories of the grateful and happy people of the Wave being directed towards the Konoha-nins when they left the country, just two days ago – flashed through Naruto's mind. Gratitude. That was the feeling he wanted to always be present within his heart. Unaware of himself, he started leaking Kyūbi's chakra in small amounts as he and the rest of the group ran towards the town center.

A sight that greeted them was another memory none of the three Genins would ever forget. Tazuna, Tsunami, Inari and dozens of other workers were nailed to the wall on the town's square, their arms chopped off, blood already dried.

Sakura covered her mouth with both of her hands, while Sasuke was visibly shaken. And Naruto widened his eyes even more as the rage he held inside started leaking out. The adult ninjas were better at hiding their emotions, but couldn't help and feel anger as well.

* * *

**Town's Square, moments before the Konoha group arrived.**

"So how you like it now, Tazuna?" Gatō gloated as he stood in front of the make-shift wall for this occasion. Around him were around dozens of armed thugs, while Zabuza and Haku stood beside him.

"Where is the money?" Zabuza asked impatiently.

"Here you go." The small man gave him a coffer with his reward, almost as if he was angry for paying him for a job well done - before turning towards the dead bodies once again.

_The supplies of weapons, food and various other tools. This should suffice the cost for the new revolution._ Zabuza thought as he inspected the coffer.

"You know. You could stay and work for me as a bodyguard. I could really use you two." Gatō said, not changing his look from the presentation in front of him. But Zabuza did not answer, his attention was elsewhere.

Notably, Naruto releasing more and more of foxes chakra was soon noticed by a Demon of the Mist, who turned around to face the Konoha group that was standing atop of one of the buildings. "They're here already?" He whispered with a frown. _They returned fast. _He did not expect this. Or knew how they _knew _about Gatō's return so fast.

"Zabuza-sama!" Haku said worriedly as he saw their odds are against them, again.

In the meantime, on the top of the building, Naruto's anger and the result of it - was noticed by the group as well.

"Naruto, calm down. We need to stay focused." Kakashi said and nodded towards the Tiger in case anything goes the wrong way. As if it didn't already. Their client was dead, along with his family and the workers who helped him with the construction. Money wasn't the problem, but the parameters of the mission's results were. Along with the consequences that this would have on the reputation of Konoha and people of this country.

Naruto continued looking at the dead bodies, his rage rising with every moment as he heard Gatō's laughter.

"Haku, prepare to flee, quickly." Zabuza said as he sensed a familiar energy, very similar to his sworn enemy, Yagura. Kakashi, five ANBU's and a _Jinchūriki_ was an overkill. And there was no way, either he or Haku would be enough to beat them. Let alone, survive.

"Understood, Zabuza-sama."

"Huh? Are you two farting or what? What kind of energy is this?" Gatō complained and the realization soon hit him like a pair of bricks when he turned around. "Konoha shinobi!" The blonde one was leaking some sort of orange air around him.

His thugs looked towards the top of the building, shakenly. There was around fifty of them. The sheer energy and hatred of the Kyūbi was too much for them to bear. Some of them drew their weapons, but for the most part fear overwhelmed them as they struggled to stand still in their positions.

"I didn't sign up for this!" One of them shouted.

"M-me neither!"

Naruto disappeared from his place in speed so fast that it was impossible for normal eyes to follow. He charged towards Zabuza first, who prepared to defend himself. But before he could land a precise hit to his chest, Haku jumped in front of him as Naruto, instead of hitting Zabuza to the chest, punched Haku to the face, breaking his nose in the process, sending him to Zabuza's arms who caught him.

"Ughh." The Yuki boy groaned as he felt his bones cracking and blood dripping down to his mouth.

"Haku! We're leaving!" Zabuza said as he held his 'tool' in his arms. Today is not the day either of them were going to die.

"Zabuz- Where are you going!?" Gatō questioned when he saw his hired blade preparing to flee.

"As far away as possible." He quickly said as he picked his coffer with money.

"You treasonous bastard!"

Zabuza disappeared with Haku in his arms in a swirl of water. Naruto could still sense them and was about to give a chase. But before he did, few pillars appeared around him, grabbing him by the hands and legs.

"Nice work, Tiger." Kakashi said as he and the other four ANBU's jumped near the execution's wall. Gatō's thugs started fleeing, but were hunted down by the ANBU group. Kakashi grabbed the businessman to his collar, restraining him.

"Please let me go, I'll give you anything you want!" He whimpered in Kakashi's arms. But his plea was ignored.

"I don't think I need to use _that_ technique on him. (5) If he had used more tails, I might have needed to." Tiger said as he held his arm straight, kanji for the word 'sit' inscribed on it.

"**_They are running away..._" **A voice in his head commented.

Naruto continued resisting to the wooden pillars, as they continued draining Kyūbi's chakra away from him.

"**_You are weak..._"**

He was weak. Zabuza was running away. He must not allow him to flee!

But the wooden pillars were too strong and he soon returned to normal state. The red eyes and enlarged whisker-marks faded away.

"Please spare me. I beg of you." Naruto turned around to see Kakashi-sensei holding a short, whimpering man in a tuxedo suit, on the ground.

"I'm sorry." He muttered.

Kakashi sighed. "You didn't release it. So it's all good."

"I nearly did."

Kakashi remained silent. He turned around towards his other two students. Sakura was visibly shaken and Cat approached her to calm her down, as the pinkette looked towards Naruto in unreadable fear. Sasuke was no less afraid. Although, unlike Sakura, he was a bit calmer. There was one difference in him that wasn't present before this. Both of his eyes flared Sharingan with one tomoe each.

_Great._ Kakashi thought tiredly. Another problem. He would have preferred if Sasuke never awakened it. He would need to have a long conversation with him regarding the lure of those eyes. Among other things.

"S-sensei?" Sakura stuttered.

"Everything will be explained when we return to the village, Sakura." Kakashi said. They would need to deal with the entire mess here, first.

* * *

**Author's note:**

(1) Sabiru is an anime-only character from Naruto Shippuden Episode #193. He was in league with Orochimaru. I decided to use him for this special mission I have in plan for later. I might write the entire system of Konoha that I have in my head, in two chapters, in the extra note.

(2)I know that the Wave country is south of the Land of Fire, but as it's position in the canon is pretty much _irrelevant_. I had it located east of the Land of Fire and south of the former Land of Eddies. As you can see, I made the Land of Waves, remnants of the Land of Eddies. I saw this in many other stories. I figured out, why not do it myself. As I began writing this chapter, the story just went along with it and so I had a presence of Uzushiogakure here.

(3) It's a Psycho Mind Transmission that Kakashi used on them. I introduced in the last chapter, that he knows that jutsu.

(4) I don't know why I wrote this. It just came out of nowhere.

(5)Yamato/Tenzō/Tiger, referred to the Hokage-Style Sixty-Year-Old Technique — Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands. I had him use the Wood Style: Foo Dog Heads here instead of the former. It seemed more "gentle" version of the technique as Naruto did not summon more tails. He was only in his initial Jinchūriki cloak, similar to the one he had in his fight with Sasuke. This is also the first and the last time I'm using this "rage" inducted Jinchūriki form for Naruto. I'm not going with Bijūdama destroying the mountains result for Naruto. I'm saying that now. He will have a cordial relationship with Kurama, but that's about it. I might change some aspects later on, but for now only this.

That would be it for this chapter. 16.000 words. I wanted to release this chapter last week. But there were many things I didn't like, even the inclusion of an Uzumaki child OC. But I dropped that idea and deleted the parts about it. I also intended for the Wave arc to be two chapters long. But in the end, due to the fusion of chapters and removal of the unnecessary stuff – it ended up like this.

It's also a bit darker, I guess. I turned it 180 degrees around by the end.

**Additional note(edited-in)**: So what did I do here exactly? First of all, as Morino Ibiki said in chapter #44: "Important information in your hands… can be a powerful weapon for your comrades and the village." And the information was the key element to a successful/failed mission. Konoha group took the information they had here and acted in accordance with the logic with it. It resulted in failure, mostly because Gatō acted rashly, out of their "jurisdiction". Zabuza stayed with the man, because he was paying him, in addition to having a pride that was on a line, and a dream to become the Mizukage. The latter would be even harder for him to accomplish if he simply ran from his enemies as he did here, completely run from his enemies. Yes, he did flee the Kiri the first time, but the situation was different back then. He wasn't cornered as he was now. Gatō, also acted out of pride and greed, not waiting for the dust to settle. I wanted this chapter to be a failure in sense, while officially it was a successful mission. They protected Tazuna as he was building his bridge, but the man was killed once the mission was over. It may not be the best way for the execution of this plotline, but it is the best way I could come up with. I needed Zabuza and Haku to survive for later interaction. Haku is fast in canon. And despite being the first real villain in canon. Zabuza was no joke. In the end, the information they had weren't exactly correct and it resulted in this.

**Additional second note: **I added few lines here and there and made sure Zabuza didn't warn Gatō about ANBU being added to the mission as well.

The next chapter will be the aftermath of the mission as well as the result of Orochimaru sending the information regarding Naruto to Kumo and Iwa.

I also initially wanted for Naruto to meet Minato in mindscape in this chapter, but there was no way for me to do it properly. If anyone has an idea how can the essence of Minato talk to Naruto, feel free to tell me and I'll consider it.

I also had to include the ANBU's here as otherwise it was too unrealistic if Kakashi knew of their future opponent. As I was writing this chapter some things came naturally, so was the inclusion of the ANBU team. In that way, I also didn't have Naruto fight much this chapter. And I wanted to have that. In two chapters he will.

There was also less action that I thought it would be when I started writing this chapter. There will be more, once the Chūnin Exams begin and after that. For now. Just plenty of cringy dialogue.

Sasuke and Sakura also figured out that Naruto is a Senju. The next chapter will have Iwa and Kumo reacting to Orochimaru's message and Naruto coping with "nearly" releasing Kurama. As Kakashi said here, he was far from releasing it. But the guilt is there. I will also try to have Naruto meet with the essence of Minato in the next chapter, somehow.

Some would wonder: "Why did Gatō continued working with Zabuza?" or "Why did he return to the Wave so early". The answer is: He was proud, stupid and pragmatic at the same time. He betrayed Zabuza because he had a chance to do so, but he should have waited for him to "finish" Kakashi. It would have been more logical to wait. His betrayal of Zabuza was prepared, yes, but came at the wrong time. I played with those ideas here and we have this result.

I will also experiment with the "wrong information". Like Zabuza thinking that Yamato is Minato's son because of the Wood Style and stuff like that. Just because some characters say something, it doesn't mean that it will always happen the way they imagined or what they said is the truth.

And before someone points out that I overused the ANBU's codenames a lot. I had to. On missions, they are bound to use them. From what I saw in various fanfictions out there, that is.

I would also like to thank the user u/rohan62442 from Reddit who had an idea for this prompt on r/NarutoFanfiction. It was a prompt #2 of the "Two dark Waves Arc prompts". My version here is a bit different, as this is AU. But he gave me an idea from his post.

Thank you for reading this chapter and story. Have a nice day. Stay healthy!

**Additional edit on 14/12/2020: **I have thought about this, and have decided to one day rewrite this chapter from the scratch. The result will be the same, but the execution will not. Until then, it will remain like this. Thanks for understanding.

~HyperboreanRealist


	6. Those who forget, are doomed to repeat

**Chapter 6: **Those who forget, are doomed to repeat.

* * *

I was thinking about what ramification Konoha and the Land of Fire should have since the Gatō destroyed the bridge, but I realized that he would have done the same thing in canon. In canon he wanted to take over another country too. One that had the closest connection to the Land of Fire (as unlike here, in canon, Land of Waves is south of the LoF). As he would have done the same thing there, it would be considered as a terroristic act in any case. It was his own doing. No one else's. I'll have some things that will influence the plot here. But I'm not going to have some sort of sanctions towards Konoha or anything like that. I'll deal more with it in the next chapter.

Gatō was foolish in canon. He betrayed Zabuza because of his pride. But he was also a billionaire who almost took the country in the first place. A bipolar person. I took into consideration all those things while I was writing the last chapter. He had self-preservation instinct when he listened to Zabuza, but he also had a pride that took him to the early grave.

Zabuza remained with Gatō because he wanted revenge upon the Konoha group and money. His reputation was on the line since he was a missing-nin. If he wanted to overthrow Yagura he would have needed a good reputation to gain support. Running away is not a way to gain one.

* * *

As I did not do it before, I'll do it now, but:

"Normal speech."

_Inner monologue._

Description.

_**"Kurama talking." Kurama thinking.**_

_"Naruto talking with Kurama."_

Technique's use.

* * *

**Kumogakure no Sato, The Raikage's Office**

_Profile's name: Senju Naruto, current alias: Namikaze Naruto_

_Birthday: October 10th _

_Sex: Male_

_Height: 151.5 cm_

_Weight: 44.3 kg_

_Blood Type: B_

_Nature Type: Wind, Water._

_Kekkei Genkai: N/A_

_Clan: Senju Clan_

_Parentage: Senju Minato (father), Uzumaki Kushina (mother)_

_Special status: Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi_

Sitting in his office at the moment, the Yondaime Raikage, A, currently read the contains of a scroll with the information of the one particular Konoha shinobi. His three subordinates, Darui, C, and his secretary – Mabui, stood in front of him as he read them the first part of the message. The message itself was given to his shinobi patrol near the Northern Sea by an unknown man with strands of white hair and red lines around his eyes, from what could have been seen under his hood – according to their description. He did not know from **whom** did the information came actually, though he suspected it was Iwa's doing. Ōnoki was probably baiting him into some action. _Probably_.

"Um... Do you think he's the real thing, boss?" Darui asked him.

"If I'm being honest with you, Darui – I'm not sure." This message came out of nowhere. But the information would seriously need to be considered and _investigated_.

"Could Konoha really hide him for so long?" C asked with a frown.

"They could, C. They really could do that. Despite what they claim to be on the surface, a lot of shady things happened there ever since the village was created." Uchiha Madara going rogue, the Second Shinobi World War, shady businesses of Shimura Danzō, _inhumane_ experiments of one of the Sannins – Orochimaru. So hiding the last Senju, barring one busty member – is not surprising. Given his parentage and their pedigree, it should have been expected.

Inwardly, the Raikage congratulated Hiruzen on such a decision. The living enemies of Minato would no doubt try to kill the boy. Iwagakure most of all. Though, Ōnoki seems to have toned-down his warmongering appetite a bit in the past few years.

"I must say I'm really interested in his development." _It's Minato's son after all. _If Hiruzen hid him for so long, he probably had him trained as well. An excitement he didn't feel in a long time - started overflowing him. He needed to know the boy's abilities. _Fast_. To see if he was worthy of his father's legacy.

He placed the paper on the table and turned around in his chair, now looking straight towards his village.

His secretary, Mabui, took the paper into her hand and began reading it further in her sweet voice. "Personality: slightly introverted, determined, focused... Chakra prowess: Exceptional..." She moved her eyes further down the paper. "It seems that he is a prodigy in every sense, Raikage-sama." She concluded, amazed.

"If it's not a fake report." C scoffed.

"Exactly." The Raikage said, still looking through the window. He addressed Fukai's daughter again (1). "What do you think, Mabui? Do you think he's real or a fabrication made by someone?" Mabui had a sharp eye, and was more level-headed and rational than his two bodyguards on most of the subjects.

Mabui looked at the boy's picture again. Unlike his father, Naruto had a slightly rounder face, but the same eye and hair also had the same look in his eyes as him – in his registration picture. It reminded Mabui on the first, and the only time she saw the former Hokage in person.

**==Flashback==**

_**The Third Shinobi World War, The Land of Hot Water**_

_Her team had just finished delivering the message from the village to the frontlines and an eleven-year-old Mabui couldn't wait to get back home. They were traveling through the forestry of the Land of Hot Water. Dodai-sensei had to remain on the frontlines for the time being. She initially wanted to visit one of the hot springs, but her teammates were against it, as this country was swarming of Konoha-nins from time to time, apparently raiding the supply lines to the frontlines. Due to a shortage of shinobis, and the necessity for other duties – her team was selected for a mission to deliver the simple scroll to one of the bases, even if they were simple Genins. _(2)

_"I can't wait to see everyone once we get back." The young girl said, a bit too loud._

_"Mabui stay focused, there could be the enemies nearby." Her teammate, Samui admonished her._

_"Sorry, Samui-chan." She muttered, shyly._

_"Samui is right, Mabui. You need to be more diligent with your duties. We may be rookies, but this is the time of war. We could be ambushed by local Konoha-nins. They may have infiltrated the country already." Yotsuki Kiyoi, her third teammate, told her with a serious, but worried expression, as they walked on the road back home. He was too paranoid sometimes._

_"I get it!" She shouted, again, though she covered her mouth right away. _

_At that moment, the three Kumogakure Genins heard something from the bushes and trees._

_"Arm yourself." Samui said as they stopped moving. Mabui gulped once, but the noise from the forest was just the sound of leaves that were disturbed by the birds who flew away._

_"Just birds. Nothing serious." Kiyoi sighed in relief._

_"No," Mabui said, now fully focused. "There is someone out there." The birds were disturbed by movements, usually by a movement of shinobi who jumped from a tree to tree – scaring them off._

_Despite her awareness of the situation, she couldn't help but scream in shock, when a giant dark yellow dog jumped above them._

_"Aahh!" She screamed in fear as all three of them felled to the ground, eyes widened._

_"It's just a bunch of kids, Minato!" The shinobi with red markings on his cheeks, said, as he stood on one of the branches of the tree._

_Mabui turned her head slightly to the left, noticing another man standing there. He had a blonde hair, blue eyes, and a standard Konoha flack jacket that Jōnin's wore, just like his other companion. He wore a face of indifference._

_"Th-the Yellow Flash." She widened her eyes even more as she recognized him. She heard the stories about this man. One that was apparently faster than A-sama himself. And a **ruthless** man at that, one that the entire Iwagakure feared. _

_As fast as she came to the realization, she frantically shouted. "It's the Yellow Flash! He's about to kill us!" She cried in fear as she covered her head with her hands._

_"Mabui." Samui hissed at her from the side, a bit too loud, as the two men could hear them. Her friend was also scared, as it could be seen from her face, but she was calmer than her at least. Kiyoi was no less afraid, though he kept his mouth shut. H__er fear took over her senses._

_As she lifted her head again, she saw the Yellow Flash standing above her, placing his hand on her mouth, but instead his face of indifference, there was a kind smile._

_"You can stop now." He continued smiling, a bit nervously, though. "We won't hurt you, I promise." She nodded, slowly._

_"What shall we do with them, Minato?" His companion asked._

_Minato was silent for the moment before turning towards his comrade. "Nothing. We'll leave them here. We've already fulfilled our mission." He turned towards her once again, his smile still in place. "We'll be going now, Mabui-chan. Stay safe and a bit more silent next time!"_

_Mabui blushed, but she did calm down hearing that. Her breathing returned to normal as well. _

_Minato and his companion went back to the forest from where they came from, followed by that dog who shrank in size without them noticing._

_"Minato-kun..." She whispered lowly, without her teammates hearing her. She continued looking towards the direction where the blonde shinobi went. _

_"Mabui, are you okay?" Kiyoi asked, as both he and Samui approached her, waking her out of her day-dreaming._

_"Y-yes. I'm okay. Are you two alright?" She asked them._

_"I am." Samui answered, her emotionless face back at place. "This is why we told you to focus and be quiet. Had he not taken pity on us, we could have died or become prisoners." Her blonde teammate told her, sternly._

_"Samui is right." _

_"I'm sorry. It won't happen again." She promised with downcast expression._

_"Whatever the case. Let's hurry back to the village."_

_Kiyoi nodded. "Why do you think he spared us without a second thought?"_

_"It's because we weren't worthy to be taken." Her cold, blonde friend, stated. She looked embarrassed about the entire situation. Well. Samui-chan was always a bit too proud for her own good. _

_Mabui did not comment on anything, as they went back faster, jumping from tree to tree. But before they jumped-off, Mabui shoot another glance towards the direction where her kind enemy trailed off. "Minato-kun..."_

**==Flashback end==**

Mabui kept looking at the picture of Senju Naruto as she remembered the time when she had met his father. From that day on, she had decided to take her career more seriously – pushing aside her childish persona. Had it been anyone else but Minato, she and her team would have died that day. It was also the only time she saw Samui really scared.

However. It was also the beginning of her crush towards the Senju man. She had never told it to anyone, though, she suspected that Samui knew.

She, herself, understood that nothing would come from it – and it didn't. But the girl could dream, right? Not every enemy shinobi would spare her team just like that. They fought with Iwa during that war, too. She had heard the stories of their ruthless dealings with Genins they would capture. Skirmishes between Kirigakure and Konohagakure were also infamous for the young generation of that time.

Looking at the picture of Minato's son, she could help but morph his serious face into a smile, that was once again similar to that of Minato. The memory of her former crush made her blush. Yet even as she remained unmoving, she couldn't hide her behavior from the other present.

"Mabui, are you okay?" C asked her, shaking her off from her day-dreaming.

"Wh-what? Oh, I'm okay. I'm just a bit tired." She waved it off with a nervous smile.

The three men looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Really. I'm okay. What was the question, again?" She asked in order to change the subject.

"Do you think the boy is the real deal or a fabrication made by Konoha, in order to test the reaction of the other villages?" Her uncle asked her with narrowed eyes. Mabui hoped he would not dig into her personal life. It was probably strange for them to see her not focused on the task at hand.

She considered her answer for a moment. She remembered the face of Minato like she saw him yesterday. And was one-hundred percent sure that Naruto was the real deal. She also knew what this meant for the boy. Her uncle nearly caused the war with the Hyūga Affair. Something that she was fervently against when the plans were forged. Mabui never voiced it, it wasn't her place to do it. Not that anyone would listen to her. But she was against it, as it was both dishonorable to her as a kunoichi of Kumogakure, and disgusting to her as a woman.

Naruto would most likely become some sort of target. But she couldn't lie to her uncle either. She opted to tell the truth. "I believe he is. He has many similarities with his father, from affinities to eyes and hair..." _And the fact he was made a Jinchūriki __by his own father__. _Went unsaid. It was better if she did not praise the dead Hokage openly for his honor... It would be logical for Konoha to hide Minato's son. He would have a high bounty on his head since birth.

The Raikage said nothing as he considered his options in silence. "It will have to be investigated in any case. Mabui." He addressed his assistant once again. "Write a letter to Konoha. I would like to express an interest in _reforming_ and _improving_ our relations with them. If they would allow, I would like to have a few of our Genin teams compete in their next Chūnin Exams."

"Are you sure they will accept it, Raikage-sama?" Mabui asked, skeptical. Her village had a reputation of being untrustworthy to the other Great Five. The Hyūga Affair being the biggest blight to reputation in recent years. But at least they could pride themself in being the strongest in terms of military strength.

"That old monkey Hiruzen will no doubt and try to gouge out the ability of our own new generation." The Raikage answered with a grin. "So we'll both see each other's strengths in the process."

Mabui, as well as C and Darui, remained skeptical, but conceded.

"Understood, Raikage-sama." The grey-haired girl said with a slight bow, leaving the room to fulfill her task.

Once she left, Darui spoke first. "Uhm... Did she seem a little spaced-out to you back there?"

"She did," C confirmed, his neutral face morphing into a smirk. "Do you think she has a crush on the Senju kid?"

Darui shrugged. "Who knows?" He cleaned his ear with his pinky finger as he said the following. "Are you maybe jealous she likes another blonde and not you?"

C scoffed. "As if."

As the two of them chatted back and forth, the Raikage remained silent as he looked towards the exit-doors where Mabui left. He knew better than C and Darui what went on in his niece's mind. Something that gave him an idea on what to do if the Senju boy proves to be a real deal, and if Hiruzen accepts to _play_ his game.

Caressing his short beard and mustaches, slowly. The Raikage thought about it more. Maybe this was a ploy made by Sarutobi in order to play _him_? That possibility should not be discarded.

Yet, other than the abilities of the boy, he was interested in the strength of his blood. It didn't happen very often that the offspring of two powerful shinobi be born. A powerful shinobi from the strong clan background. Looking at the Senju boy's file in front of him, the Raikage could see the chart that showed the growth of his chakra during his time in the Academy. He mused that the already had large chakra reserves from birth due to his parentage – increased by the bijū inside of him.

The chart itself was the same one they used in Kumo. It was originally thought out by the Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama. Every other village copied it. From what he could deduce from the chart, the boy's chakra reserves are slightly larger than his brother's. From one side, he could conclude it was due to his blood and tenant. _On the other hand_... It suggested that he already passed an intense physical training, even as a child.

_What type of training did The Professor had him go through? _The more questions he asked in his head, the more thought about praying for this to be real. The last few years have been rather... dull. As his right hand, Darui, would often say.

As he thought about it further down the line, something came up to him. "C, Darui. Make sure not to babble this up to my brother." B would no doubt, immediately try to go, if they got a positive reply from Konoha.

"Uhm... Wouldn't it be better to send his team to the exams, if our request is accepted?" Darui asked.

"You forget yourself, Darui," C said. "Yugito-san is in the B-sans team, as well. And _both_ of them are Jinchūriki's."

"Nope." His partner answered. "I did not forget it."

"Then you know sending two of them to the viper's nest would be dangerous."

Darui shrugged. "They would be a bit too large targets for them to try anything."

"Indeed." The Raikage agreed. "Despite their shady past, Hiruzen will not allow something like that to happen, while he's in charge. However." His two bodyguards got curious. "My brother will not go. I'll have someone else supervise his team."

"That's reasonable." C said, leaking his dislike for the rival village as he spoke the next words. "But I don't trust _Konoha dogs_ to not take advantage of Yugito being under their noses. _Unprotected._ They could instigate her death and extract her tailed beast from her at the worst-case scenario."

_Like we tried to kidnap the Senju' boy's mother? _Darui thought inwardly, but decided not to say anything regarding _that_ touchy subject. Their leaders' pride was punched enough back then. Not to mention when Konoha screwed them over in return with the Byakugan. _Better not to pour salt on the injury_.

"I know what you're thinking, Darui." The Raikage commented with a frown. "C, I'll see to make sure Hiruzen does not try anything with her. She is, however, our best Genin at the moment. It would be a shame for her not to represent us among all those other villages out there."

He also wanted to gouge out the strength of the other villages, aside from Konoha. Suna got a setback during the last few years. He couldn't help but feel curious about how they fared.

"Man... This is going to be such a dull affair." Darui commented with a sigh. "Couldn't we simply let the others do it for us? I mean... If Iwa got a hand on this information, they'd most likely try to find out more."

"Indeed. But Hiruzen is more reserved towards Iwagakure." The Raikage said. "And I really want to see the boy in action myself if he proves to be a real deal." He finished with an excited smirk. Another idea also came up with him. They failed a few times in that endeavor. But now, he would go, step by step in order not to fail.

They would the boy for the exams if they accept his request. That much, he was sure of. The Chūnin Exams _were _a replacment for war after all.

* * *

**Iwagakure no Sato, The Tsuchikage's Office**

_To think that man had a son. _The Sandaime Tsuchikage thought as he looked at the paper in front of him, with a frown. _And a Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no less. _The boy had a great potential with that addition to his own strength that was there due to his blood. He knew personally how powerful the Jinchūriki's could be, and some Senju's even more. Having the strongest of the tailed beasts in him, no doubt increased his regular potential and power.

Ōnoki gripped the report-paper he was holding. Something that was noted by his council members.

"Tsuchikage-sama." Sagami, one of the elders began. "Are we going to act against the boy?"

Ōnoki closed his eyes. After a minute or so, he took a long breath and exhaled it. "No."

"No?" Another councilor, Izutcuhi, questioned in disbelief.

"**N****o**." Ōnoki nodded.

"Why? If the boy becomes a threat one day? What then? If he gets as nearly as powerful as his father, it could be the end of us." Another councilor said, trying to make a point.

"If he does, then we deal with it then."

"But, Tsuchikage-sama. We could get rid of him now and avoid problems in the future. While he's still weak."

"Enough!" Ōnoki slammed his hand on the table. "We will not act against the Senju boy. _Officially._"

At the confused look of the council members, he continued. "We'll place him into our Bingo Book, under a section of potential threats, yes. Hiruzen has placed many of our own young shinobis like that over the years, yet he has never acted against them directly."

"We never had a son of the man who single-handedly changed the course of the war and ended it!" Another one added with an bitter frown.

"And whose fault is that?" The Tsuchikage questioned them. "We will do only that for now. And maybe have someone else do it for us." He told them. "This report says he is a prodigy in every sense of that word. High score, equal to that of his father." _Just what we needed._

The others in the room remained disgruntled, causing Ōnoki to sigh in exasperation. "We have lost the last two shinobi wars..." The frown on the others deepened, and fists and teeth were clenched. "Not only was our village defeated... We had lost the faith of many of our clients in addition to our pride and reputation. The faith we have managed to restore in the recent times. But, if we act rashly against the Senju boy, we could bring upon the final destruction on our village, if he _really_ he is as talented as his father, _or_ if Konoha retaliates and _beat _us again." _Or even more._

Others looked down in shame and remained silent.

"To think Konoha hid him for so long... How strong do you think he is?" Kitsuchi, his son-in-law, asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence that stretched in the room.

Instead of giving his opinion, Ōnoki presented them with his idea. "In two months time, Konoha is hosting the Chūnin Exams. They won't let any of our Genins to participate, but I wouldn't send them there either." He looked towards the other to see if they are fully focused on what he is saying, instead of their vengeful thoughts against the son of the Yellow Flash.

"I will see to infiltrate one of our shinobi to watch the finals. Daimyō-dono will not be present there, as neither is Fire Daimyō for our own exams."

"So who will we send? I suggest Sagan. He is a good shinobi, and a sensor at that. He would be a perfect observer to deduct the abilities of Konoha's new generation." His son-in-law suggested.

_In addition to find out more about the new Senju._

"I agree." He was about to propose him as well. "I'll see to arrange him as one of the bodyguards for the Stone Daimyō's entourage. Due to the marriage between the daughter of our Daimyō and the Stone Daimyō's son, we can arrange for him to pass as Ishigakure shinobi." Not an uncommon approach. They would have to craft this carefully. Konoha's trackers and sensors are infamous for their good performance. But Ishigakure's shinobi would be wroth with their Daimyō for dealing with Iwa. They never had a good relationship with them, to begin with. Despite the recent marriage that occurred, in order to quell the animosity between the two villages. This needed to be crafted with utmost attentiveness. It didn't matter if the boy participated in the exams. It would be a good opportunity to gather more intel on Konoha anyway.

Looking at the picture of Senju Naruto, Ōnoki frowned once more. Never in years, he thought this would happen. He didn't hate the boy, or his father for that matter. His rational side outweighed his bitterness over the years. But the future of his village needed to be secured. And if the Senju boy proved to be a menace to Iwa, he would need to be eliminated.

But as more as he thought about this, the more he realized that the direct action, or any sort of _sanctioned_ action would bring nothing but the trouble for his village. If Hiruzen hid the boy for so long, then he must have wanted him to survive his early childhood at all cost. _Of course he would._

For now, he'll just observe the boy. But whatever the results turn out to be, it may not change anything at all, in the larger scale of things.

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, Hokage's Office**

Sarutobi sighed as he listened to the report from the Wave mission by Kakashi. An officially successful mission. In reality? Failure of catastrophic proportions. The team protected Tazuna as he constructed his bridge. Getting more workers in the process, after the rumors of Gatō fleeing the country had spread out. It seems that even a native citizen of the Wave could be bribed to work against his own country and people.

In the end, the bridge was destroyed when his shinobi left. Certainly, they did not count that Gatō would return so fast. Before executing him, Kakashi was able to extract the information, about his plans for the Wave. _Delusions of grandeur_.

Becoming a Daimyō of the Wave, so to have a permanent base of operations. Gatō certainly did not account for the other Feudal Lords to be against an upstart usurping tyrant. Once Zabuza and his companion fled, his thugs laying dead on the streets of the Wave, the businessman was executed by the people themself. The wealth that was with him, was sized by Kakashi and the others. It would be given to the participants of this mission. The rest of the money was brought to Konoha as well. Kakashi suggested that the Land of Fire should annex the Wave country and pay for the construction of a new bridge, from Gatō's money. Something that Hiruzen was in agreement with. He would need to speak with the Fire Daimyō soon anyway. It would be a good opportunity to advise him regarding that.

There were other problems that arose during the mission. But something else needed to be addressed first.

"Team Ro. Take the next three days off. After that, return to your standard duties at the headquarters." He told his kneeling ANBU, in contrast to Kakashi's team who were all standing.

"Yes, sir." Was the chorus of replies before they body-flickered away.

Hiruzen turned to the remaining ninjas present in the room, the Team 7.

"Sasuke, Sakura. I don't need to remind you that the knowledge of Naruto's parentage is to remain a secret for now?" Apparently, they figured it out. _Among other things_.

The two Genins shook their head. Both of them returned from the mission changed. Sakura more so than Sasuke. She had a haunted look on her face and was constantly shooting small, but fearful glances towards Naruto. Experiencing the hatred of the Kyūbi for the first time could be traumatic for those of the _innocent _mindset like her. Or it would be better said – this was the second time she experienced the release of foxes chakra. Being older than Naruto, it gave her an opportunity to feel that as a baby, even if she couldn't remember that.

The same thing was with Sasuke, although he was a bit more composed than her. He too, looked towards Naruto occasionally, but aside from the narrowed eyes, there wasn't anything else. Hiruzen would have Kakashi more integrated within the boy's life. He figured that the trauma from the massacre was enough _not to_ traumatize him even more. Though, other unknown things within his head could also be a reason for his demeanor.

"Now." Sarutobi began, "I understand you had a slight experience with a certain tenant that Naruto is keeping at bay?" Manipulation. Though, not a lie. Naruto was a jailor to the Kyūbi. The night the beast escaped was the first time Hiruzen felt the power of the bijū. And the most powerful of them. He could understand the initial fear the populace felt with Naruto's presence, but he did not agree with their resentment and the treatment of his surrogate grandson. With how the years went by, he managed to subdue their fears, mostly thanks to the incidents that happened. Orochimaru's betrayal, potential war with Kumo, the Uchiha massacre...

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Sasuke said, while Sakura barely muttered those words.

"Then you know you must not speak about that to anyone. This is an S-rank, _open secret_. Which means that the many people know it already, but are forbidden to talk about it." He waited for at least one of them to nod, Sasuke in this case, before he proceeded further. Explaining them about a life of a Jinchūriki and the meaning of the word...

Sasuke digested these pieces of information calmly, while Sakura did not hide her tears. Naruto remained calm and silent for the most part as he simply looked on the floor. His mind darted back to the Wave and how he nearly unleashed the fox he was supposed to hold back. Memories of the Wave also included the view on Tazuna and his dead family, which made him angry before he took a deep breath to calm down.

Before he said anything else, Hiruzen saw Sakura raising her hand to speak. "Sakura-chan."

"I want to quit, Hokage-sama... I can't be a ninja anymore. I'm... I'm just not fit to be the one." She said with a downcast expression, tears dried. She thought about it all the way from the Wave and the trip back to the village which passed in silence. She couldn't stomach the idea of seeing a happy family like Tazuna's ending up like that. That was too much. And if it meant seeing that more often, she would just rather quit than torture herself with nightmares.

She wanted to become a ninja, like her parents, even if they were just a simple Genins. But she wanted to become one. Later on, it was to be with Sasuke. But she didn't care about that now. All she wanted was to go into the safety of her home.

Hiruzen was not surprised. It was a common thing to happen when the new shinobi had a traumatic encounter. But he couldn't allow for Sakura to simply _quit._

"Sakura-chan, I understand." He said, getting a thankful nod from the girl. "But quitting a shinobi life is not that simple. I will give you a week to think about it before you make your final decision."

"I understand, Hokage-sama." She had already made up her mind. But for the sake of the respect, she would do it.

"However. From what Kakashi has told me, you have progressed well up until now in your training. And that you have shown interest in the medical ninjutsu, is that correct?"

"I did, Hokage-sama... But I would really just want to qui-."

"How about you become a medical ninja in the hospital?"

"A medical ninja..."

"Please hear me out on this one." He said with a kind smile. "Medical ninja's are outside of the standard shinobi ranking as you may already know. Similarly to the ANBU's, we pick them out based on a merit or recommendation. Naturally, you will remain within the walls of the village most of the time, and you will be given a normal salary once your training is finished. What do you say, Sakura-chan? It would be a shame if you discarded your potential just like that?"

"May I... May I think about this, Hokage-sama?" He nodded. It wasn't a bad proposal. She _may_ need to go onto the field sometimes, but being a medical ninja wouldn't be so bad, in her opinion. She just didn't want to experience what she did, a few days ago. _Naruto's anger. _It brought shivers to her spine. Helping people on the other hand wouldn't be so bad. She would seriously need to consider it.

Kakashi looked at his leader with a narrowed eye. It was a clear manipulation from the Sandaime's side, even if he had a _merit_ in those words.

"Kakashi, your team will have the next week off from their duties. You may leave now." He told the team. "Naruto-kun, you stay." Sasuke raised his eyebrow and looked towards his blonde teammate, who had a blank expression on his face, before looking towards Kakashi, who simply shrugged and motioned for him and Sakura to leave.

Naruto waited for ten seconds after they left before he spoke. "I never thought you would manipulate Sakura like that, old man."

"Can you blame me?" Sarutobi looked at him, bored. Surely, someone with Sakura's potential for medical ninjutsu would be wasted to simply _retire_. At least with this, even if her potential is limited by her own will – she can still be of great use for the village. He resented a part of himself for manipulating the young girl like that. But still. She, herself, might realize a mistake later on and then it might be too late to repair it.

A pragmatic reason. The Academy spends the six years of nurturing the future generation of their village. Simply retiring, right after becoming a ninja would be idiotic from his part if he allowed everyone to do it on _a whim _after a failed or semi-failed mission. He could not afford that.

Naruto shook his head. "I don't think I can."

And he couldn't. If the mission to the Wave showed anything, is that leaving the career behind, or a job half-done – suffering can only be prolonged. Sakura can still become the medic, and will have her use for the sake of the village.

"Come and sit here, my boy. I want to see how you're coping with this." Sarutobi motioned 'here' to his left on a futon, to which Naruto nodded and went to sit on it.

"What is on your mind now, Naruto-kun?" He asked him, kindly.

"Aside from the fact that I saw a family and people who praised me and my team as heroes – dead. Nothing much." He said dryly.

Sarutobi remained silent, his eyes narrowed and mouth placed in a thin line. It would be best if he allowed the boy to vent out his frustrations, first.

"I nearly released the Kyūbi..." He whispered after a while.

_Not venting. But beating yourself isn't much better either. _"From what Kakashi has told me," Sarutobi began. "You haven't even used one tail worth of his chakra. So it was far from released."

"No. I didn't." He gripped his tights. "He taunted me to release him, and I nearly fell for it."

Sarutobi exhaled smoke from his mouth. "That's why you're keeping him a prisoner, Naruto-kun. So he can never escape. Controlling your emotions is a must, when dealing with the fox."

"For how long, though?" Questioned Naruto. "I feel as if he hates me more and more, by the every day he is imprisoned."

"I don't know." And he didn't. Capturing the tailed beasts and even selling them to the other villages was probably the greatest mistake Senju Hashirama has made.

"Listen, old man... I need a favor." Naruto began, looking at the picture of his father at the top of the Wall with narrowed eyes.

"What is it?" Naruto was not someone to ask others to do it for him. Whatever he needed, was probably reasonable.

"I need someone to control my flow of chakra as I speak with the Kyūbi." He said, bluntly.

_Or not. _"Have you gone insane, Naruto-kun!? Just a few days ago, the fox tried to use you to escape-."

"I need to speak with him." Naruto said seriously. "I couldn't sleep for the past few days because my stomach is running wild. I don't know if that is some sort of anxiety or the fox being restless, having a sense of control in a long time must have upped his desire for freedom."

Sarutobi tucked his mouth upwards. "Fine. I'll arrange with few ANBU's to be there, as well as Jiraiya. He came back to the village four days ago, by the way."

"He did? That's great." Despite everything that happened a few days ago, Naruto allowed a small smile to grace his face. His godfather would be a perfect man to oversee this, which reminded him of another thing he was curious about. "How is the ANBU member Tiger related to me?" He asked the old man with a raised, straight to the point.

_So he found out about that. _"It's a long story."

"I have time." Sarutobi snorted at that. At least Naruto didn't beat himself up, anymore.

* * *

**Later that night, Senju clan's compound**

The night has fallen, and Jiraiya was currently sitting on Naruto's engawa, listening as his godson reminiscent about his semi-failed mission.

"And after the ANBU member Tiger sucked away the foxes chakra, I managed to calm down. Kakashi-sensei captured Gatō, while the other ANBU's hunted down his thugs. Zabuza and Haku fled. I could still sense them, and had I didn't tap into the _Kyūbi mode –_ we may have had a chance to catch them. Two of them are on the list of people I want to _kill_ more than anything." Naruto said with clenched teeth.

"I see..." Was all that Jiraiya said for now.

"After that, many of the local citizens came outside in fear, Kakashi-sensei and the others managed to calm them down by giving them Gatō to face the justice." Naruto said laying on the floor on his back, staring at the stars as he was talking. "We returned to the village in silence, after we buried Tazuna, his daughter, grandson and the others."

"Why do you beat yourself because of it? It wasn't your fault, kid. Gatō had a death wish and no-one had warned him about the consequences of his actions." Jiraiya said to him.

"I know..." Naruto admitted. "But I can't help and feel somehow responsible. Had we done more, maybe we could have caught him and prevent what happened to the Wave in the end."

"Maybe, maybe not. What's done is done. Failing a mission will happen more often than you think. Take pride that none of your comrades got killed this time." Jiraiya said with a faraway look in his eyes as he looked towards the nearby pond in the backyard.

_But the client and his family did. _"Did it ever happened to you, uncle?"

"What? Failing a mission? A few times, I admit..." Jiraiya said as he rubbed his chin. "Me, Tsunade and Orochimaru were a simple Chūnin's back then. We were supposed to escort the Fire Daimyō's relative to a Land of Rivers. He got drunk and got into a fight while we slept, in the nearby tavern. Got himself killed in the process." Not exactly like his case, but he could understand how his uncle must have felt.

"So how did you cope with it?" Naruto asked. He must have felt some disappointment with himself among many things. Like Naruto did now with his _own_ failure.

Jiraiya took a deep breath. "I hired a hooker." He said it with a neutral expression. Despite not wanting to do it, Naruto laughed as he stood up in a sitting position.

"D-do you suggest I hire a prostitute to ease my pain?"

"If you want." Jiraiya shrugged it off nonchalantly, though his supposedly neutral face morphed into a minor smirk, and then into a full-out laugh.

"No thanks. Mother would come down and kill both you and me if I did that." He snorted at such a notion.

Jiraiya ruffled his hair as he said the following. "Having the people you care about killed out of your reach is _painful_, even more so when you see it yourself. But it's not something you can _always_ prevent from happening. Never forget it, kid. What happened at the Wave wasn't your fault, or the other's."

Naruto nodded and he proceeded to ask something that caught his attention. "You said 'out of your reach'. Were you talking about those three orphans from Amegakure you trained in the Second Shinobi War?"

"Indeed, them." Jiraiya said with a nostalgic smile.

Naruto knew the story about those three, one of them having a _Rinnegan_. He never told it to his uncle, but he did feel that it was wasted and foolish from him to have simply left such a powerful asset back in the Land of Rain. If Konoha got its hands on the Rinnegan, his parents might have still been alive. But there no point of doing 'what-ifs' now. What's done is done. You remember the past in order not to have something like that reappear in the future.

"So how do I cope with this failure?" He wasn't that close to Tazuna and his family. No more than mere acquaintances, but he was fond of them. A different surroundings from that were people were not afraid of him, being shattered like it was – left a deep scar on his soul.

"You cope with it by not beating yourself anymore. And make sure you _don't_ repeat it in the future, kid. Understand that?"

"I guess." He simply stated, looking towards the direction of the village. As it was night already, street lights were shinning out of the center.

"By the way," Jiraiya said as he stood up, taking out something out of his bag. "Here." He tossed him a scroll. "There's your armor you commissioned from the Land of Iron. Sadamune couldn't stop bragging that its one of his best works ever. Open it."

And he did. The scroll was unsealed, popping up a beautifully made grey-of-color shinobi plate armor. It had it's clan's insignia on its chest. Similar to the one his clansmen wore during the Warring States era. Technically, as a member of a clan, Naruto had a right to wear the traditional uniform during the missions. The Akimichi's and the Aburame's certainly did. _Reject modernity and embrace tradition. _He thought with a smile.

"Now all I need is some good fur." Naruto muttered as he inspected his 'gift'.

"Why'd you need fur for?" Jiraiya asked, curious. "Don't tell me you plan on copying the Nidaime? I never took you for a copycat, Naruto." Finished Jiraiya with a smirk.

"Laugh all you want, uncle." Naruto snorted. The notion of him copying just in order to look like someone was out of the question. He was inspired by that fur to use it in battle. He turned to Jiraiya to answer his question. "I don't plan on letting my hair grow long. If I want to use that Needle Jizō you taught me, I'll need to have some other extensions to get the results faster."

"And you chose fur... With chakra enhancing armor to channel the chakra easier, is that right?" Jiraiya said as he came to the realization. "But you could have done that without material from the Land of Iron."

Naruto smirked. "I could. But I want to experiment with my affinity and additional elemental shield around the armor – _Nintaijutsu. _Wind element can easily shred my clothes if I'm not careful enough. With chakra enhanced armor I could prevent that. But I still need to figure out _how to_ do it exactly." He muttered by the end as he further inspected his future gear. The Wind element could also shred his pants if he expelled it in an unbalanced way. But he would not touch that subject, _yet_. There were other primary concerns that needed to be dealt with, first. Until then, the armor presentation would wait.

Jiraiya smiled nostalgically at Naruto's explanation. It was similar to when a twelve-year-old Minato presented him with an idea for a Rasengan. Jiraiya mused that Naruto's idea had the possibility of being realized. The Sandaime and the Yondaime Raikage's were known for utilizing the Lighting element in combination with their taijutsu style. He mused that if Naruto wanted to create a style of his own in a similar fashion he would need to begin from scratch.

Getting into his thinking pose, while his godson inspected his gear, Jiraiya imagined the way it _could_ work. In theory, _expelling_ the wind from one's body was not impossible. However, _controlling_ the air around one's body was a different subject. Depending on the amount of wind he formed around himself, Naruto could also be able to _fly_. Did he thought that far? Surprise on his face showed.

"I see you realized something." Naruto commented with a smirk as he laid down the armor.

"Are you planning on flying one day?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe. Depending on the amount of control I have. I do _plan_ on trying it. For now it's just an additional protection around myself."

Jiraiya smiled. "Good. But make sure you have someone near to help you out as you train, if anything goes wrong."

"I know."

The Sandaime Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, could also fly. But the knowledge of that ability is a tightly guarded secret among those who hold the title of the Tsuchikage.

"Go and rest now," Jiraiya advised him. "You have a fox to talk with tomorrow. And don't beat yourself anymore." He told him with utmost importance now. "Dealing with the foxes chakra requires of you to be the best on your emotional level. The Kyūbi will most likely try to use your emotions to his advantage."

"I understand." Jiraiya ruffled his hair once again. Experiencing it one time was enough for him. And it told Naruto that foxes chakra was not something to be taken easily.

* * *

**The next day**

_Dead bodies nailed on the wall. Their arms chopped off._

_Naruto stared at them. His ears filled with maniacal laughter. He turned around to see Gatō laughing at them directly. **Ignoring him,** who stood there in front of them. Naruto saw he had an army of thugs behind him, along with Zabuza and Haku who stood there, emotionlessly._

_Their indifferent look at this presentation. Their indifferent look on this tyranny. It angered him. He wanted to kill them. _

_His body started being surrounded by an orange chakra and he never felt so much power before. He allowed it to overwhelm him completely._

_Naruto jumped forward towards the little man and his army. They didn't stand a chance against him. He killed every single one of them. Including Zabuza and Haku. And he felt satisfied. But when he tried to go back to normal – he couldn't. The power was stronger than him. He had no control._

_He looked around to see fearful faces of the citizens of the Wave, mothers hugging their children in fear as they watched a demon killed their oppressors. _

_Such was the power of his hate at the moment. Those he was supposed to protect, now feared him. He hated that too. He hated people being afraid of him. It reminded him of the misery of his early childhood. All those glares, all those looks. He wanted it to end._

_As he succumbed to the power of the Nine-Tails, a picture of his parents appeared in front of him. A picture of his father caressing his mother's pregnant belly. But as he went to grab the picture, it ignited in fire, turning into ash, as he transformed fully into the Kyūbi._

Naruto woke up, breathing heavily as the sweat dripped down his forehead. He swallowed everything that gathered in his mouth. It was the second time he had a nightmare of _this_ type. The first time was the night after they returned to the Wave. He didn't sleep since then.

He looked at the clock in front of him.

_05:58 AM_

_So much for coping with your failure. _

At least he slept longer this time.

Maybe he should hire a hooker as Jiraiya suggested?

_Better wait for few more years. _He allowed a thin smile to grace his face.

Naruto got up from his bed and went to the kitchen, pouring a glass of water. It had an awful taste. As any other time in the morning.

After finishing his duties in the bathroom, Naruto went outside to take a breath of fresh air.

Allowing the morning breeze to grace his face every morning when he woke up – was something he loved doing. It eased his heart and mind from any problems he would have. Any worries he had would fly away, just like the wind.

_Let's get this over with._

* * *

The training ground A-6 was a designated training ground that the ANBU's used for their training. Right after leaving his home, Naruto went to the Hokage's Tower to meet the Sandaime who was already awake and ready, just like Jiraiya.

They showed him the way to the designated spot where he would, hopefully, meet the Kyūbi.

"So much for the three free days..." He heard the voice of one person familiar to him. The ANBU member Boar. "I get why Tiger needs to be here today, but why the rest of us?" The other three members beside Tiger and Boar were present too, as well as Kakashi-sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Morning to you too." He said with an eye smile, standing straight from a tree he was leaning on and closing in on his book. _A purple cover_. Uncle Jiraiya did not like that if his light scowl was any indication.

"I suppose you are to calm me down with your Sharingan if anything goes wrong?" He asked him.

_A Sharingan. _Ever since the incident at the Wave, he felt a certain disturbance within himself, or better said – whenever Kakashi-sensei brought it up in his talk with Sasuke, or when Sasuke would flare it up instinctively. At first he thought nothing about it. Mostly because his mind was elsewhere. Particularly the fresh memories of innocent people nailed on the wall.

Even now he felt a slight anxiety as he saw Kakashi-sensei lifting up his headband.

"Is there something wrong, Naruto?" Kakashi asked him.

"There is." _Your Sharingan is giving me creeps for some reason. _"...But I don't know what is it." He opted saying instead.

"By the way. Why are the rest of the members of Team Ro here today? I didn't think we'd need so many people for this." Naruto asked. Surely if the Nine-Tails somehow escaped his prison, four additional ANBU's would be worthless against it. If his godfather and surrogate grandfather couldn't stop it.

A part of Naruto now began thinking this might have been a bad decision. Maybe he should have gone the way his mother or Mito-sama did.

_Keep it locked and forget it ever existed?_

For how long, though? He asked the same question to the old man, yesterday. For how long would he be able to keep the Nine-Tails in check if he did not even understand it's _reasons_?

Reasons.

What reasons would the fox give him? He or it, wanted _freedom_. That much was obvious when he used it's chakra back in the Wave.

"I can see from your face you already came to the realization." Naruto came out of his thoughts, looking at his sensei.

"Maybe." The teamwork was a _dogma_ within Konoha, and Team Ro was pretty good at it, from what Naruto knew. He didn't have anything against that. More or less, he supported such a notion from his training. Or so he thought.

Ever since the Wave, he didn't know what he wanted to do with his life or shinobi career. What did he want to accomplish?

Acknowledgment? Respect? Acceptance from his fellow villagers?

"Naruto-kun, we should begin with the task at hand." His grandfatherly figure stated, and he was once again brought back from his musings.

Naruto nodded and stood still as the ANBU member, Tiger stood in the middle of the clearing, going through few hand seals.

"Wood Style: Foo Dog Heads!"

Exactly nine foo dog pillars had risen from the ground and surrounded the Wood Style user. "You can proceed with your part whenever you deem it ready, Naruto-san." Tiger told him. The others stood in their positions. Being ready to act if anything went wrong. _Hopefully it won't._

Naruto walked in front of the pillars, sitting in a meditating pose.

He didn't know _how to_ actually talk with the fox. The last and the only time he interacted with him was when he was angry. His stable emotional state was necessary in order to keep it at bay. That much he knew. But his wild emotional state enabled him to interact with it in the first place.

He made a ram seal and focused on his other chakra. _The Kyūbi's chakra_. It wasn't active, as his reserves were full at the moment. Only when his own reserves were wasted, the foxes chakra _could_ take its place.

He didn't have time to waste it pointlessly. It could take hours. His own chakra was _also_ necessary to keep the Kyūbi at bay.

Naruto opted for simple meditation. He cleared his mind from everything negative that happened recently. He focused on a sparkle of the foxes chakra within his seal. And as he did, he found himself within the other dimension of sorts.

* * *

_Sewers... _Not exactly how he imagined his mindscape would look like. Looking around, a frown appeared on his face.

"_I hired a hooker._" The voice of his godfather ringed in his head, along with that blank expression of his when he said it – causing a small smile to crack on his serious face, before it turned into a minor chuckle.

He walked through the halls towards nothing in particular. He didn't know where he went exactly. He just moved as his intuition had led him. At the end of the hallway, he saw a bright white light coming out of the next room. As he entered into the said room – a massive cage appeared in front of him.

Naruto quickly turned around, only to see the hallway covered in dark. _Ironic._

He turned around once more, facing the giant cage that stood in front of him. He could see the kanji for the word 'seal' in the middle.

_Best not and try to remove it. _A common sense.

"_**So you have finally decided to grace me with your presence.**" _The voice behind the bars said to him.

Naruto swallowed his spit he didn't know he was holding in his mouth and addressed the fox. _"Kyūbi."_

"_**Your fear is emanating, yet you stand before me – defying. I must say, I'm intrigued with you, Senju Naruto.**"_

As he stood before the cage, only eyes and the sharp teeth of the fox were shown – Naruto realized he didn't know _what_ he wanted to actually say to him now. _"You tried to take control of me."_ Naruto replied. And what a lame reply it was. So much for doing it with confidence. He almost sounded like a little bitch.

"_**I did.**" _The fox growled. _"**And I nearly succeeded.**"_

Naruto couldn't help it, but he had to snort at the foxes statement. _"Far from it."_

The Kyūbi did not like that comment, as he showed his fangs through his cage. _"__**Come 'ere, you impudent brat! I'll swallow you whole!**__" Propelling_ him to take one step back_._

"_Why did you attack the village twelve years ago?"_ Naruto asked him. He felt his desire for freedom when the fox tried to take control of him. The attack itself when he could easily be re-sealed again didn't stand straight in Naruto's mind.

Kyūbi growled behind the bars in an angrier manner than before. _"__**As if I needed a reason. Your wretched ancestor sealed me in the first place. I wanted to destroy his creation. I wanted to destroy his legacy!**__"_

Naruto narrowed his eyes. He didn't try to correct the fox. He figured it would only antagonize him even more. _"That's why you're sealed."_ _Forever._

_**"But I'll be free one day as well.**"_ _Deluded. _If he actually believed that. Under no circumstances would the village allow it.

The next thing Naruto had asked was something that was alluded by the old man regarding the time when he was born. _"Who helped you escape?"_ No matter how powerful the Kyūbi was, his father _was_ a seal-master. While never explicitly stating that someone else had a hand, the old man did suspect that someone had a hand in interrupting the sealing. _A summoning. _The fox appeared _within_ the village. Not in the sealing-cave where he was born. Outside of it.

The old man told him that a few years ago. To ease the mind of an orphan who blamed himself for his mother's death.

The Kyūbi was silent for two seconds, before closing into the cage, allowing Naruto to see his full front. _"**You're implying that someone like me needed help to escape? I took the first chance I got, and that was when your mother was giving birth.**" _He growled in resentment, his red eyes widening in hate as he spoke.

For a moment Naruto backed off a step behind. The fox smiled in amusement. But it was not amusing to Naruto. For some reason he couldn't believe the fox to do something like that. _"So you simply decided to escape and allow yourself to get captured again? You expect me to believe that?"_

_"**Leave. Now!**" _The Kyūbi closed his eyes.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes and released his hands from a sign of a tiger. Promptly standing up, he was asked a question by the Sandaime. "Are you not going to talk with the fox, Naruto-kun?"

"What do you mean? I already did talk with him." Naruto answered with a raised eyebrow. Before anyone said anything else he stated the following. "I was there for around ten minutes or so."

"Ten minutes?" His godfather asked back. "Kid. You were sitting there for around a minute. We were waiting for you to start leaking the foxes chakra any second."

"No." Naruto said back. "I'm sure I was in there talking with him. It wasn't much, but I'm certain it was more than a minute."

"See for yourself." Jiraiya said as he pulled out a vintage hand-clock out of his shirt.

_07:18_

They had started in around 07:15 AM. Could it be that the time within his mindscape went slower?

"Let's just assume that the time and space is different in this case, shall we?" Sarutobi suggested, expecting no negative response.

Jiraiya shrugged it off and the others nodded."So what did he tell you, Naruto-kun?"

"Nothing much, just that he want's to _eat_ me." ANBU member Boar chuckled at that, prompting for his teammates to give him a strange look under their masks.

"Just that?" Sarutobi asked, not amused.

Naruto looked at him as he recalled the conversation with the fox. "Well..." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "The entire village should be thankful because I keep it at bay." He simply stated.

Sarutobi did not changed his unamused mask. But nodded. "I believe that would be it." He said. "You are dismissed." He told his shinobi. Tiger removed his wooden pillars. And the rest of them were about to go on their way.

"Wait? Just that? I tho-." Boar went to add something of his own but was elbow-kicked by his Captain.

"You heard the Hokage-sama, Boar. We are dismissed."

The man in question rubbed his ribs slightly. "Man, kid. You owe us big time for wasting _our_ free time." The jesting ANBU mock-complained.

"Sure, sure." He waved it off.

As the others left, only Naruto, Jiraiya and Hiruzen remained in the clearing.

"Do you mind telling us now, what kind of conversation you had with the fox? The ten minutes is not a small amount of time. Wouldn't you agree, Naruto-kun?" Sarutobi asked him, smiling. But it was obvious he expected an answer.

"I guess I can't hide much from you, can't I?" Smirked Naruto.

"They don't call me The Professor for no reason, my boy." Of course they don't. He told that to him many times.

"He didn't say much, only some vague notions of him escaping and destroying the village in order to end the legacy of my great-granduncle, Hashirama."

A frown appeared on both Jiraiya and Sarutobi faces. Jiraiya was the first one to speak. "I knew he would have some resentment towards the village, but I didn't expect it to be _that_ much. Why didn't he simply flee? And _how_ did he escape in the first place?" Jiraiya shoots a small glance to the Sandaime, who kept looking at Naruto with narrowed eyes.

"He didn't say it. I suspect he had some outside help, right? I mean... As you said, why didn't he flee? From my conversation with him, I realized he is very proud, but also very wroth with his current status – as expected."

Sarutobi continued looking at him in silence. Jiraiya who was standing next to him, looked like he wanted to say something, but also remained silent.

"You already told me once that the sealing could have been interrupted, old man. Do you have any potential suspects?"

A silence.

"No." Sarutobi closed his eyes as he said that.

* * *

**The Senju compound, the clan's secret library**

Naruto sat near the table in his clan's secret library. A candle in the lampshade was nearly wasted, so he took another one and replaced it.

As he sat on his chair, Naruto looked at the floor in contemplation, while he tapped the surface of the table with his finger.

His thoughts drifted, from his conversation with the Kyūbi to the epilogue with the old man. He tried to figure out _anything_ that could help him find out who could have help the fox. The old man knew something about that, but hid the fact from him.

In order to summon the Kyūbi within the village, one would need to have either a Wood Style like his great-granduncle, Senju Hashirama had, or Sharingan – like his _friend, _in reality, a rival and later arch-enemy, Uchiha Madara possessed. His great-grandfather wrote that Madara could control the fox because he had a _Mangekyō Sharingan_. The _evolved_ version of the standard one.

Naruto considered both options carefully.

The only, current, Wood Style user was the ANBU member Tiger, from what he knew. Yesterday, the Sandaime had told him the origins of his Wood Style. The origins as the Tiger himself has stated – were unorthodox. The reason was the rogue Sannin, Orochimaru.

On the other hand, the Konoha's government itself tried to replicate the Wood Style many years ago – in order so it could subdue Bijū if it was ever the threat to the village. But no successful case was recorded, only the gruesome deaths of those who received the cells of Senju Hashirama.

It _could be_ that Orochimaru continued his experiments, and had a loyal minion with the Wood Style. One that would stage the Nine-Tails attack on the village, ending the life of his father, thus ensuring a safe stage for him to come to power. Thankfully, the old man prevented that.

Naruto breathed deeply. This room needed some fresh air occasionally. And to be cleaned from the dust as well.

_Some other time._

He took a notebook from the drawer, one that Tobirama wrote regarding the Sharingan and its abilities.

Skipping through few pages he had read before, regarding the normal eyes – Naruto began reading the section that described the Mangekyō.

_**The Mangekyō Sharingan**_

Naruto skimmed through the next two pages where Tobirama pointed out some of his theories about the necessity of its awakening.

"Killing someone close to you..." Naruto muttered out loud as he read the theories once more. He did read the book itself before. But it wouldn't hurt to do it twice. _Especially now._

The abilities of the eyes were – seemingly, and in Tobirama's _unbiased _opinion, irritatingly – endless.

The three powerful abilities that almost gave the Uchiha-Hagoromo alliance a gateway of winning the war were: _Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo. _With Izuna possessing the first two and Madara having the more destructive latter one.

Tobirama was the one to fight Izuna. While Hashirama fought Madara.

_High level of Sensory abilities. _That was the key to evading both Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. If you were an exceptional sensor like Tobirama was, you could deduct if the user was _gathering_ chakra in his eyes.

Naruto pondered if Itachi had either of those three. He pulled out a bingo book he always carried with himself. Looking at it, all the information for the infamous Uchiha was that he was a prodigy similar to him and that he killed his entire clan in one night. It made Naruto wonder if the clan was weak by any chance if one thirteen year old could have done it by himself.

But that didn't interest him now. He placed that question at the other part of his mind. What made Naruto curious, is _how_ Madara managed to control the Kyūbi when seemingly his great-granduncle could only restrain it and put it to sleep, just like he did with the other Bijū's. Not utilize them for his own needs during the battle.

There weren't much informations regarding that. Only that the Madara **could** cast a _strong ocular genjutsu_ on the tailed beast – getting him under his control.

Naruto sensed the slight disturbance within his seal for a moment. The Kyūbi must have felt angry with his thoughts.

"Ha-ha-ha." _That fox must be having a bigger ego than the entirety of the Hyūga clan combined. _As much as he wanted to relax in his thoughts – he couldn't. He continued analyzing in his mind different situations and thinking, on who could have interrupted a re-sealing.

No Senju other than Hashirama had the Wood Release. And now, the ANBU member Tiger. But the Shodai Hokage was dead, the Tiger was still a child back then, while he and Tsunade were the last Senju's.

Another one was that the Orochimaru had a hand in it, and if he managed to replicate the Wood Release on one of his experiments. Just to use it against Konoha and his father, paving the Snake Sannin way to the seat of the Hokage. - A very plausible theory, one that should **not** be discarded.

There was one that came to Naruto's mind in addition to his other theories regarding the doings of his only living relative – Tsunade.

It was no secret to him that she held a certain amount of animosity towards Konoha, and before that to his father. But the one towards Konoha was greater. Loss of a love and a younger brother made a cynic out of her. It could be possible that she had a child who could have attack Konoha twelve years ago.

"No... The timeline doesn't add up." Naruto muttered while he rubbed the bridge of his nose, as he thought further.

She _could_ awake the Wood Style herself, perhaps? But then again, that was a rare thing to happen.

Naruto shook his head, ashamed of himself that he pointed a blame on his aunt drowned in misery.

He discarded the possibility of her being responsible _in any sort of way_ to the attack.

He thought further about it. He recalled a minor conversation between the ANBU's while they were searching for Gatō.

* * *

_"Naruto is a Senju, not an _Uchiha_. He already passed a psychological test in my book." Fox said, stubbornly._

_"You are having a vendetta against a dead clan, Captain. I thi-." Cat said, trying to play the rationality card._

* * *

He never paid much attention to it before – when he was in the Academy. _But_ while the Uchiha clan was still alive and thriving, he noted that many times there were looks of animosity directed towards them from a decent amount of villagers. That was when he dwelled deeper into the village, using the Transformation Technique to hide his appearance.

Naruto massaged his temples as he processed this carefully.

Captain Fox held a deep dislike for the Uchiha's for some reason. Naruto noted that the first time when Team Ro interacted with him, when uncle Kosuke was away on the mission – like he was now. Hence why he called him the 'Tobirama Second' for that reason.

A nostalgic memory from the happy part of his childhood was replaced with a deep consternation.

Shinobis held a _distrust_ towards the Uchiha's for their 'easy way to the top' eyes. Copying jutsu's without a drop of hard work could be and would be annoying to many. Naruto did not blame them.

But the _civilians_ were distrustful too.

"Cracking down on crime could be the reason?" Naruto asked himself. But there was more to it. He doubted that the average every-day civilian committed a crime and was apprehended by the Military Police. There was much more to it.

The students at the Academy _learned _about the battle between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara. But the information about the use of the Kyūbi was _erased _for the newer generations. Just like the knowledge of him being the Jinchūriki of the same, it was kept from the standard Academy curriculum.

The clans probably taught their members the true history in private. But unlike the clans who certainly had more rational thought than your average civilian – those couldn't be trusted not to pass on their dislike.

A similar way was with him – albeit, his status was not taught to the new members of the other clans. _Hopefully. _His reputation was sullied enough as it was. He was slowly building it. If the latest failure did not slump it again.

_Could the Uchiha clan somehow be connected to the attack? _

The Captain Fox certainly disliked them – _beyond_ the simple jutsu copying. It was _more._

And he would definitely find out what it was.

* * *

**The alley near the Hokage's Tower**

Naruto stood between the buildings near the Hokage's Tower. But that was not the place of interest for Naruto now. It was something else. _The Konoha's Archive Library._ One that stood at the top of the Hokage's Mountain.

For the next hour, he focused on his senses, pinpointing the movements of the guards within the tower and its surroundings – and looking at the map in front of him. There were exactly twelve guards out there. The night has long befallen on the village and this was a perfect chance for infiltration.

_Tread carefully, Naruto. _He told himself. It was his first time doing that. Better not blow it off.

He could sense the old man in the nearby Hokage's Residence – with his own ANBU guards around it. But he was not to be included in his minor investigation. Naruto had to do this alone.

Pulling down the mask that covered his bright hair. _Just in case_. The moment he sensed the next rotation – he moved. He had exactly fifteen seconds to infiltrate into the building without anyone noticing.

The infiltration itself wasn't that hard. The place wasn't as protected as the _Archive section_ of the Hokage's Tower. That one would be a lot harder to infiltrate. However, he may need to do it. _Maybe_. If the standard Archive Library was lacking in the information department. The_ semi-public archive library _did not hold the reports that were too important for the village's security. But you still needed an official pass to enter. Something he didn't have. This was a private investigation.

Naruto moved to the 'History' section on the upper level of the building, suppressing his chakra as much as he could. He could still sense the few shinobis patrolling around. But they never went here. From the hour he spent sensing and deducting their movements as far as he could tell by their patrol routes.

He placed the flashlight into his mouth over the mask and began snooping for the archives that could help him with the research.

_There it is. _Naruto thought as he saw the bookshelf section with reports from the Kyūbi's attack. There were around six large books in the basket. _Let's start from the beginning._

He pulled out the basked down and took the first book, taking it and proceeding to read the contains.

_October 24th, two weeks after the Kyūbi's attack. _Naruto began reading inwardly. _Detailed analysis on the bodies of fourteen ANBU guards and two nurses in the cave... _It was the list of names he encountered for the first time._ ...Sarutobi Biwako and Sarutobi Taji suggested a trace of a violent death... _He continued reading the following section. Some were strangled, some had their throats sliced... _The old man's wife and niece... They were killed by someone, right after they delivered me to this world. _Naruto gritted his teeth in frustration. He hated having others dying pointless death. And the death of those ANBU guards, just like that of Biwako and Taji _was_ on his shoulders.

It was also a confirmation to him that _somebody_ had a hand in interrupting his birth.

He wondered if the old man ever felt any resentment towards him for this. A lump in his throat appeared and he swallowed it once. After that, he continued reading further. He never felt any animosity from the old man. Just a pride in his accomplishments, and support whenever he needed it. If anything. He could sympathize with him on a certain level.

He skimmed another few pages that detailed the records of the deaths of every shinobi during the attack. The civilians were listed later, their names, age, and the manner of death. Wheater their body parts were cut in half by the Kyūbi's claw as they were fleeing. Or if they buried under the pile of bricks in their ruined homes – as the detailed analysis showed.

Naruto had to swallow it once again as he saw the age of some victims. Some didn't even have their _first birthday_ celebrated, but were killed before they could experience the joys of life. He promptly closed the book, breathing calmly for the next minute.

It seemed that Zabuza and Haku would no longer be first on his list of people he really wanted to **murder**.

He took the next book in the section. Seeing it was just a damage-report from the incident, he placed it back, it was the same thing with the following three books.

In the end, he took the last one, and started reading it.

_The Nine-Tails appeared within the village in around 11:00 PM, a north-eastern sector._ Naruto read, skipping some lines here and there. _The north-eastern sector, the more densely populated part of the village was a place where most of the civilian casualties came from. About around sixty-eight percent of all casualties in total, to be more precise._

_Here it is. _Naruto thought with a bit of excitement in his body. _Following the third week of the investigation, many shinobi have reported seeing the flash of **Sharingan** in the Kyūbi's eyes..._

Naruto paused reading for a moment, digesting everything he had read, up until now. The anxiety from his body at the _mention_ of, or even _seeing_ Sharingan was probably the fox being restless. It reflected negatively on his blood cells from hearing or even _sensing_ the use of its power, ever since the first time he used his other source of chakra.

_The anxiety of the Sharingan. So he **was** controlled, after being freed. _Naruto mused, thinking about the foxes reasons for doing so._ But he didn't say anything because of his pride? _The question appeared in his mind.

_You fucking bastard. _He thought inwardly. Whether the fox could hear him or not, he didn't care. He was an idiot for not being cooperative enough. Though, Naruto could admit hypocrisy in his thinking. The Kyūbi didn't owe him anything in the first place.

A deep thought emerged within his mind. _Why didn't the old man told me about the Sharingan? _He didn't dwell there for long. _Sasuke was placed on my team. It was probably so no animosity would come from me. I am the great-grandson of the Nidaime Hokage. _Sneaky old man probably thought so as well. Yet he didn't appreciate this omission of truth.

But still... He would deal with the old man hiding stuff from him some other time. For now, he continued reading more. _December twentieth. Two months after the attack. The knowledge of Uchiha Madara controlling the Nine-Tails in the battle against the Shodai Hokage-sama was integrated deeply, within the memories of the village – more so than we thought. The villagers would have orchestrated the Uchiha's more intently had the latter did not have the numbers and the position to defend themself against such accusations. The Uchiha clan itself, suffered minimal casualties during the attack, intensified the existing distrust the shinobi population held against them._

_The distrust that the shinobi held, soon enough transferred onto the civilians. But aside from a few minor side-remarks – there was no further discrimination._

_Well_. There was nothing up **until** the twentieth of December when this report was made. Naruto continued reading further, skipping the next few pages. Aside from the conclusion that the clan _should_ _be_ monitored – there was no clean proof to suggest that the Uchiha clan itself was responsible for the attack.

Captain Fox has probably lost someone close to him in the incident. His dislike towards the Uchiha showed that much. Naruto was thankful that he didn't hold anything against him. If he did, he has hidden it well enough.

From the observation of the villagers and their reaction to the attack from these reports and his very own personal examination – Naruto could deduce that there were **three types** of people within the village with a way of coping with the Nine-Tails attack. At the very least, by only judging the adults.

Those who blamed him – _A relative majority of the population – _were the first type. By **blaming** him. By **hating** him. By **shunning** him. By **ignoring** him – they maintained their 'normal' mental state. He was used as a scapegoat to cover their fears. By seeing the _demon_ that almost destroyed them in the form of a child, their fears would subdue and justice would be served.

But in order to justify their fears of the fox escaping – they needed to have another victim.

The Uchiha clan was distrusted by a _significant number_ of the people. Mostly by shinobi. By distrusting them, they convinced themselves that as long as they kept an eye on them – the attack would never happen _again_. Only the selected number, in reality – only one of the Uchiha's had the ability to use the tailed beast to their advantage. But Naruto couldn't fathom why would any Uchiha from the village try to interrupt the moment when his mother gave birth.

_Like Yin and Yang_. He and the Uchiha's were the two sides of the same – **discriminatory** coin. The civilians feared him for the most part because they didn't understand him – shinobi were a significant minority in this case. With the Uchiha's, the shinobi distrusted them because they knew them first hand, but civilians only followed the suit. They may had a harder time than him.

Children had more guts in bullying him when he was a child, but would not touch the Uchiha's.

Thinking about it now. The village politics was a _whorehouse_. Contained by both money and pleasure.

The last group was the minority. The ones who were held by a rational thought – blaming neither him, nor the Uchiha's for the attack.

Despite deducing it that way, Naruto was in the second group. His intuition pointed towards it. But the only Uchiha that was known to have the ability to control the Nine-Tails was long dead. His body buried deep within the mountains of the village.

_Did Itachi killed his clan because of that? Because he was tired of the village shunning them? Wanting it all to end._

The pressure on ones person could drive even the most intelligent and prodigious to the edge if one pushed enough without a retaliation.

_Or did he kill them to obtain the Mangekyō Sharingan?_

What Itachi did was a subject for another time. His arbitrary decision of killing his family was something out of the reach for common sense. There was no point in chasing after the 'what-ifs' or 'why'.

For now, he had to deal with something else first.

Naruto pulled out a paper from his holster. It was an old map, describing the location of Madara's grave, in the mountains behind the village. The place where Tobirama locked his body away for investigation of the Sharingan.

But the investigation never went through. For the First Shinobi World War erupted, and followed by a Second one a few years later.

_There was simply no time._

Naruto dreaded what he would find out there. He hoped that he would, at the very least find _something_.

* * *

**Mountain behind the village, Madara's grave**

The place where the grave was located was by the edge of the hill that was commonly known as the _Hokage's Rock_.

The Rock itself had a decent amount of the village's official buildings on its edges. From the guard towers that guarded Konoha from the attacks, from behind – to the simple training grounds that the ANBU's used.

The small grove that surrounded the grave near the western edge of the rock was a dark place, just like Madara was during his lifetime.

_Or it's just the night adding to the ambient._

Naruto walked a few steps towards the two different-sized rocks. One of them, the little one, had an 'X' mark on it.

_This is it. _The two rocks Tobirama had described in his notes.

_Tiger – Ox – Rat – Dragon – Snake – Dog_

Naruto went through the hand seals, moving the bigger rock slightly to the left when he finished. A small hole showed at the place where the boulder-like rock previously was. He jumped inside of it.

"It's not very deep." It would be better if he allowed a trace of fresh air to enter the 'grave'. After five minutes, he moved deeper, approaching the stone-like coffin as he did.

"This is it." He prayed to the Sage to find a body in there.

_Seals. _The coffin was covered with them.

_Okay. Let's do it once again. Dog – Snake – Dragon – Rat – Ox – Tiger. _

A reverse line from the one that opened the pathway to the grave. The seals on the coffin lightened before a few of them that were stuck to the side, vertically – fell to the ground.

Naruto proceeded to move the top of the coffin. It was a bit hard. Tobirama wanted to make any precaution in order not to allow a dead man to escape. But...

"Well. Fuck!" He felt the Kyūbi within him running wild in his cage. He didn't bother on thinking how the fox could run inside that place _at all_. But his anger was notable. Luckily, Naruto was not going to tap into his power. _Again_.

The coffin was empty. There was _nothing_ in there. He moved the flashlight to every part of the grave, just to be sure he wasn't missing anything.

"Uchiha Madara is alive..." Naruto coughed for a moment. And then leaned towards the coffin, resting his head in his palms.

The Kyūbi was still restless within him. He would have to talk with him. _Again_...

_"Now, are you willing to tell me everything or not?" _Naruto asked the fox.

_**"I hate to admit it, but it would be beneficial for me to form a temporary... alliance with you."**_

_"Is that so?" _Naruto smiled dryly._ "What gives?"_

_**"It 'gives' that I want to kill the man who is also responsible for my imprisonment!" **_He growled behind the bars.

_Good. _He would get him to cooperate, but before they get to that point, he needed to know something first. _"We can discuss the terms of this 'alliance' later. First I want you to tell me how you **actually** escaped the seal."_

The Kyūbi leaned closer to the edge of his cage.

_**"I did have help in the escape, but I'd rather go without it!" **_Naruto stood there, listening. **_"As you know for yourself, the seal on your mother was at its weakest point when she was giving birth to you."_** Instinctively Naruto narrowed his eyes, while the fox continued. _**"I did try to escape back then, but it was of no use. That is, until the masked Uchiha arrived..." **_He growled with venom dripping from his voice.

Well. That settles it. The Uchiha was responsible, so the villagers did have a point of not trusting them.

_**"I don't know every detail of what transpired back then. The seal on your mother was much different than the one on you. Unlike with her, I couldn't hear, see or sense anything from the outside. The first thing I saw when I was extracted was the masked-man and a Sharingan spinning in his right eye – taking control of me."**_

_"So it was Madara who interrupted the sealing? But how is it possible for him to be alive? He should be dead, or at the very least – eighty years old!"_

_**"You're implying I have all the answers. This 'prison' is rather scarce in space. Not much to learn in it, don't you think?" **_As if to prove his point, he looked to his left and right, snarling at him.

_"Go on." _Naruto said. He would not succumb to the Kyūbi's indirect plea.

_**"You know the rest yourself from what your Hokage has told you." **_The Kyūbi stood up and went to circle around in his cage a few times before settling again. **_"Your father has sealed me inside of you, and then he and your mother died." _**Naruto looked at him in silence, and the fox in turn looked at him strangely_**.**_ His general attitude was different than when he talked to him the previous day, or when he taunted him back in the Wave. **_"He died from the sealing or something like that. While your mother died from the consequences of extracting me from her." _**He said, looking straight into him. Like daring him to contradict.

_"So that's why you attacked the village... And when various shinobis saw Sharingan pattern in your eyes, thus casting the doubt on the Uchiha clan as the one responsible for the attack..." _The fox was snarling, but not in the angry or wrothful sort of way. Like he was acknowledging what Naruto has said was right. _"Yet it still doesn't explain why you said you wanted to 'destroy the legacy of my ancestor'."_

_**"You think I would like the man who sealed me away in the first place? The man who is responsible for MY suffering!?" **_He was angry again.

_"I never said that you should like him. But it doesn't excuse your hatred for those innocents you wanted to 'destroy'!" _Naruto shot back.

_**"As if you could understand it in the first place. You humans are forgettable creatures after all." **_He growled. Yet despite the anger he emanated, Naruto could see the flash of pain and betrayal within his eyes as the beast looked straight into him. Naruto chose not to comment on it. It was good that the Kyūbi was willing to cooperate in the first place. _Better not to antagonize him further_.

_Maybe we really are forgettable... _

But he had different priorities right now. _"So do we have a deal? Will you cooperate with me in the future? So I could defeat this masked Uchiha?" _Naruto asked him. _"I don't require of you to lend me your chakra or anything." _The Kyūbi titled his ears at hearing that. _"But I don't mind having you advise me. In turn, I'll allow you to see what I see, hear what I hear, and sense what I can sense. But you won't try to take over my conscience if I ever get emotionally unstable! If you do that – our deal is off. Is that okay with you?" _

Hopefully, it won't come to that.

Once again, the fox was silent. **_"You got yourself a deal." _**He said in the end, perhaps for the first time smiling genuinely, yet he still emanated hatred and anger at the same time. **_"Your seal is different. Unlike with your mother's, I can occasionally see the outside when you're wasted from training. Make sure to allow me to do it. Without that handicap!"_**

Naruto too, had to flash his own smile at the fox. _A step by step._

_"Now... What can you tell me with this masked Uchiha?" _Naruto turned serious. Back to business. _"With how you're referring to him, I can assume it is not Uchiha Madara? Right?"_

_**"Correct," **_TheKyūbi confirmed his suspicions. _**"He was too weak and cowardly to be Madara. As much as I hate the man, I can admit he was strong – unlike his quasi-imposter."**_

Naruto nodded, and the Kyūbi continued. _**"But the most intriguing part was that he had parts of chakra derived directly from the Senju Hashirama as well." **_He said, amused.

_"What?" _If he was an imposter, lacking the power of Madara – his weakness _could_ be supplemented by the power of Senju Hashirama's cells _in theory_. That could allow him to control the tailed beast with more ease.

Maybe it was a lost Senju? _No_. Naruto refused to believe that a member of his family would do such a thing. This man probably had Senju Hashirama's cells infused within him – and he survived it. That much was obvious and it gave evidence to his prowess.

_**"I see you came up with something." **_The fox smiled. **_"In any case, that is all I could see of his abilities." _**He finished, evasively. Naruto did not know what the fox hid exactly from him, but he didn't divulge any further. _Slow and steady wins the race_. As the old saying went on.

Before he left his mindscape, Naruto asked something that piqued his curiosity, after looking back at this conversation and their last one. _"Why were you so... antagonistic the first time we've met?"_

The Kyūbi laid down on the floor, resting his head on his front legs. _**"I wanted to see if you were capable enough to figure the background. Yourself." **_He finished, closing his eyes.

_"I would appreciate it if you're not so ambiguous in the future. Certain **information** can be a life savior." _Naruto said with narrowed eyes. If they had the full information during the Wave, the mission **would have** gone differently.

At the silence of the Kyūbi, Naruto had decided it was time to leave. He got his message, but if he wanted to act like a brat, then so be it.

* * *

Kurama opened his eyes as Naruto left. Despite not wanting it, he could admit he had a capable host. One that might make this experience less miserable.

Looking back at their conversation, he recalled he had to omit certain truths from him. At first, it was to test his will to evaluate his words further. That's why he told him how he willingly attacked the village in pursuit of vengeance.

But his host did look into it and came back. He had to hide the fact that he was the one responsible for the death of his mother. It was better if he pinned everything on this fake Madara in the end.

He couldn't waste this chance. The fake Madara was still out there. And with only half of his power, he is an easy target. With Naruto, he had more chance of killing the man. The brat would do it for him.

His terms of the 'alliance' were reasonable. If anything, he could admit that Naruto was a decent human at most.

Kurama narrowed his eyes at the next thought. Naruto **should** have known why he hated his great-granduncle. Not for a simple fact, he captured him and sealed him away. It won't erase the pain he felt when the descendants of his father locked him up. The chosen successors of the younger son were supposed to be different than the dishonored ones of the elder. The humans really are forgettable creatures.

As he reminded himself of the past and freedom, he sensed something different, suddenly.

Kurama promptly stood up as he smelled something new. It was a sense of fresh air, he smelled. Looking in front of him he could see his host leaving the Madara's grave.

_**He really did it. **_Kurama snorted and smiled as he laid down to sleep again. Maybe this alliance would be more beneficial to him than he previously thought it would be. Only time would tell. And he had plenty of it.

Kurama knew that Naruto wanted to use him, just like he wanted to use him. Naruto probably knew that as well.

* * *

**The Hokage's Rock**

After leaving Madara's grave that resulted in having another meeting with the Kyūbi that also resulted in a treaty of sorts – Naruto went towards the stone-faces of the previous Hokage's. The night still graced the village, and few stars could still be seen above. But the traces of sun from the east threatened to soon banish them for a day.

He sat at his usual place when he would come here, from time to time – the stone face of his father. Every time he would look towards the village, any semblance of disturbance within him would fade away.

"For nearly fifty years I come here before the dark settles, and this is the first time I have a companion to share my view." A voice behind him said, tucking the ground with his cane at the same time.

Naruto turned around, only to see a slightly bandaged old man who was slowly approaching him, along with the two bodyguards that Naruto saw for the first time. "Danzō-sama." Naruto stood up, addressing the man formally, bowing slightly in respect as he did. Something that the Konoha elder appreciated if a slight curve of his lips upwards was any indication.

"Senju-san." He addressed him with his real name. Of course he would know about his real identity. The man himself was a rival to the old man.

Naruto decided to leave, not to disturb the elder in whatever he wanted to do here at this hour. He already started missing his bed.

"Stay. I wish to speak with you, as you are here." Shimura clan head stated, moving to stand near him at the top of his father's stone-face. "I admit this is not the usual place where I stand, but it will do for today."

Deciding to stick around for more, Naruto remained where he was – sitting, contrary to his new companion who continued standing. "Where do you usually stand then, Danzō-sama?"

"At the stone-face of your great-grandfather." He answered, looking at the village and its walls. There was no one on the street, except for shinobi patrols.

"Is there any reason why?" He was a student of his, that could be the reason, but. From what Naruto knew of the man beside him – he was not one for sentimentality. Perhaps he had his own way of coping with his life and duties. _Perhaps_.

"The reason is because I wished to understand his reasoning – initially. Later it turned into a sort of habit. A habit that would always remind me of what I fight for – this village and it's safety." He stated proudly. "It is also a reminder of my greatest mistake."

"It seems it may do it for me as well." He didn't know why he said that. With every passing hour at the village, he blamed himself less and less for what happened at the Wave.

"A reminder that we never repeat it." Danzō said, almost akin to whisper as his left eye opened, unmoving.

"Indeed."

They sat and stood there in comfortable silence as Danzō spoke first once again. "I heard about what happened at the Wave."

"I see." Nothing to add there.

"I always emphasized to Hiruzen that the emotional conditioning is necessary for shinobi to have – if they don't want the errors like those to happen." He was referring to him nearly releasing the fox in rage. "And that we never leave the job half-done. It will come to haunt us later." In reference to his group leaving the Wave in the first place without chasing after Gatō to make sure the stupid man did not take others with him to the other world.

Silence, once again.

"I can say that I agree with you, _halfly_." Naruto said, breaking it. Danzō did not look at him, he simply continued looking at the village. "I agree about leaving the job half-done, but... Emotions need to be controlled, outside of missions. If we didn't have them, then there would be more people like Gatō running around."

"Yet if we embrace them, then demons like the Kyūbi would be roaming free." Was the answer from the elder.

"No emotions are better than negative ones." Naruto agreed. Danzō said nothing. "But positive emotions outweighs both of them." He finished, now having a different reaction from the bandaged man.

"You could say that." He answered vaguely. Naruto didn't think for a second that the man beside him got rid of his own emotions. Despite the psychological state he praised so much.

"Positive emotions helped me understand the villagers better." Naruto began once again.

"And with what conclusion did you came up with?" Danzō asked him.

"Conclusion that they are afraid and confused."

"Oh?" The silence stretched for another few seconds.

"One day, when I was ten... I walked near the hospital with Shikamaru and Chōji, and I heard the wailing of a baby." Danzō said nothing, but he did give a slight nod. "I went to check what it was, and when I approached the window – I saw a mother picking up the baby, calming it down."

"The babies cry in anguish when they are afraid. It is a natural instinct to cry out for help." Danzō added with a faraway look.

"And when a mother picks it up, cooing it and holding it tightly. The baby stops wailing – because it feels safe." Naruto said.

"And just like when a strong Hokage is there to instill a sense of safety – the villagers are happy and the public order is maintained." Danzō said once again.

"Indeed." Just like his father almost single-handedly ended the war with Iwagakure – Konoha came out as a victor, even if they were losing for the first part. It gave the people a sense of safety with a man such as him running and protecting the village and them.

"But if there is no strong Hokage the unrest happens with their _uncontrolled emotions_..." Danzō stated with a narrowed eye. Yet, the Third War itself ended without any major gains for Konoha, except a bragging right that they were the victor. No territorial gains, no enemy village was destroyed. It was both downgrading and relieving. The balance of the five elements was maintained.

"... and they find a reason where they could lash out their emotions, either at me, _or at the Uchiha clan_." Naruto finished, looking at Danzō when he mentioned the nearly extinct clan. He only got an indifferent side glance for a second. _He truly has his emotions in check._

"Be it you, or the Uchiha clan, indeed," Danzō repeated. "Do you hate them?"

"The villagers?" Danzō nodded. "No. But I don't like them either."

"It seems that Hiruzen has failed then..."He said, giving a bitter smile to nothing in particular.

"The old man didn't fail. He knows it himself."

"So, for what reason do you fight then, if you don't like the village?"

Naruto was silent as he stood up, looking at the direction of the Konoha's Hospital. "I fight so another mother could hold her child as she cries the tears of joy, Danzō-sama." He told him. "I may not like many of the people here for how they treated me, but I certainly don't hate them either. I _love_ this village. It is my home. It is a _legacy of my ancestors_. I have friends and people here I care about, and I would spat on their sacrifices and friendship if I went the wrong way."

Naruto smiled as he looked at the sun fully rising from the east, with the remnants of the night fading away.

The feeling when some are thankful to him. That was the feeling he wanted in his heart. Just like Tazuna, his family and workers were thankful before they died. He wanted to experience that again. And to make sure people like them never shared the same fate.

He would do what he said. He would never allow something like the Wave to happen again on **his** watch. And especially not to his home. He may not like the people and the way they treated him in the past. But he could care for them. And he would protect them.

People like Gatō, Zabuza and Haku would always be around. Shinobi came together to erase the suffering that shined during the Warring States Era. This new era had a share of its own suffering as well, but it didn't mean one should abandon his duty if things got tough.

Danzō seemed pleased with that. "I see. Well, I wish you the best of luck, Naruto-san. And I hope we have another conversation like this in the future."

"Likewise, Danzō-sama." A slight bow with a smile out of respect, and the elder went on his way, back into the mountain behind the village All the while Naruto watched him leave, his face turning into a mask of indifference as he was left alone.

_**"You sure are an idealist." **_The voice of the Kyūbi spoke.

_"Having the ideals is not a bad thing, Kyūbi ."_ Yet he told his godfather that 'The Tale of an Utterly Gutsy Shinobi' book was too idealistic and unrealistic. _"It's the same with emotions. It's okay to have them, but don't let them stand in the way of your common sense or duty."_

The fox snorted. **_"What are you going to do with that old man. You sensed the same thing as I did, right?"_**

_"I did. A Sharingan in his right eye, and traces of Shodai's chakra down his right shoulder." _Naruto said to Kyūbi. _"He almost fits the description of that masked Uchiha, don't you agree?" _He never sensed it before, and even now Hashirama's chakra within his hand was suppressed and kept low. Almost seeming insignificant. The leader of ROOT probably observed him in turn, even if he did not show it.

_**"You humans are idiots for fighting over stupid things like that cursed eye. Or the power that is not yours."**_

_"Kyūbi, I think you and my great-grandfather would get along exceptionally well." _Naruto commented, before turning serious. _"I'll think later what I'm going to do with Danzō. He is way too suspicious to be left unchecked." _He was already told of Danzō's way of working by the old man. He initially considered staying away from him... But this changed everything.

_**"As you wish." **_The fox said as he went back to sleep.

Naruto threw a last look towards the village, before going back home to sleep himself. It was a long and hard day, just like the past few days. But what happened yesterday **should remain** yesterday. You only had to make sure it does not repeat tomorrow.

There was a long road ahead of him. If he was to live up to his ancestors and restore his clan, he would not only have to become even stronger so the people like Zabuza and that masked Uchiha could never get away with their crimes. He would also have to be a lot more politically astute. For people like Danzō and Gatō won't sit away and do nothing in the dark.

To restore his clan – that was his dream. To have a large family – that was his goal. To protect his countrymen – that was his duty.

The Will of Fire his clan passed onto this village saved many lives and enabled many mothers to see their children grow. Wicked people will _always_ exist, but for the followers of the Will of Fire, it was important to prevent their deeds and harm their people.

Moving his hand to his pouch, Naruto took another piece of paper from it, or better said – a photo. It was a photo of Tazuna, his daughter Tsunami, and the little Inari, with one side at the edge shredded out. He didn't know why he picked it up from their house, but whatever the reason, he should let it rest.

"Rest in peace, you three." He let the photo fly away from his hand as a wind passed through. And with that, his worries about a past failure would hopefully fade as well.

But first. _Sleep_. He missed a bed without nightmares. And he had a feeling now it was time for them to finally let go of him.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

(1)I will have Mabui as a daughter of Fukai(Blue B). I'm planning to have something with her, so I'm just adding some things for later use. I will also refer to the Blue B as Fukai, sometimes. He was named like that in the anime. So let it just be his name before he became the Jinchūriki of Hachibi.

(2)It isn't a farfetched notion for Genins during wartime to be used to deliver a simple scroll, or do simple errand missions.

Ōnoki and A are betting on the fact that Hiruzen might sign in Naruto for the next exams, the Raikage in particular because he thinks Hiruzen would want to have a strong representative for Konoha there. But even if Naruto is not real, they would use this chance to investigate more. I bet they did that in canon as well, although, more subtly.

I have been reading a lot about why Kurama helped Naruto early on. Why did he heal him? Why did he lend him his chakra? There were a lot of different reasons – like he grew on him. He didn't want to die and to wait for so long to respawn. Not to mention, his Yin half was sealed within the belly of the Shinigami. In any case, here I'm going with Obito being the reason. Kurama knows he can be controlled by the "masked-man" and it is more humiliating than to be trapped inside of someone. A pragmatic decision. I'll see how to develop this relationship further. For now, it's cooperation. I also had a "slight disturbance" within Naruto as a simple butterfly feeling in one's stomach. I want to explore the connection between Naruto and Kurama on a more biological level. The seal itself expands Naruto's chakra reserves. So why not an emotional connection of sorts as well?

Regarding the talk between Naruto and Danzō regarding the emotions and all that. I hope you liked it. The conversation wrote itself as I was writing it. I think it was a nice way to finish this chapter and for Naruto to let go of him blaming himself for the mistake at Wave, even if it wasn't his fault. Barring the near release of Kurama. I also wanted to have more development for him, and I think I'll be writing mostly from his point of view from now on. With the exception, if the scene is somewhere out of his reach. I also wanted to set some goals for him, as I previously didn't write them along with the team introduction. So I think that the failure at the Wave is a nice way to shape his worldview and vision for the future.

And lastly – the emotions. Originally, I wanted to have a Tobirama-like Naruto, but I realized that Tobirama and his personality were a product of his time. It is hard to place it into Naruto. Tobirama wanted for shinobi to set aside their emotions in order to have a job done. The emotions were a reason why the clans fought each other - needlessly in his opinion. A family feud(s). Even if he did not like the Uchiha's, he wanted that fight to end. But the question is – why didn't he have a goal for the rest of the world to unite? It was a nationalist belief that pushed him to do what he did. I'm going with that. There is no other reason why would he go to such lengths to protect the village and its system. Proud that he was, I doubt he just wanted for his legacy to be remembered like Tywin Lannister wanted.

I'm developing a different worldview for Naruto here. Something between Tobirama and Minato.

Anyhow. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. See you in a week for the next one.

~HyperboreanRealist.


	7. The Legacy of a dead Clan

**Chapter 7: **The Legacy of a dead Clan

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato**

"_So... Kyūbi. What's your real name?" _Naruto asked within his mind, as he walked slowly towards the Naka bridge where his team meetings were designated to be. The week since the team has returned from the Wave, passed, and return to their regular duties should commence today.

Sulking and beating yourself won't do any good. The life goes on.

"_**Not telling." **_The fox answered.

As he walked through the bustling streets of Konoha, some people ignored him, some gave him side remarks. While few even greeted them. _Doing those tenacious D-rank missions have finally paid off_. He thought with a smile.

"_Uhm... Is it... Akane by any chance?"_

"_**Fuck you." **_The Kyūbi growled within his cage.

_"So you really won't tell me your name?"_

_**"No. We may have an agreement, but nothing more, human." **_

_"As you wish..." A step by step. _Naruto told himself.

It did not take him long to reach the Naka bridge. Sasuke was there first, as usual.

"Morning." He greeted him. He hasn't seen either Sasuke or Sakura for the entire week.

"Good morning." Sasuke nodded to him. Naruto raised his eyebrow at this new development. No usual 'hn' grunt. He decided not to poke the bear.

They stood there at comfortable silence, opposite of each other as both of them leaned to the railings of the bridge, with only the sounds of river floating filling the air – waiting for the last two members to arrive.

"Do you think Sakura will give up in the end?" Sasuke asked. A rather uncharacteristic question that came from him.

"Probably." _It's better if she joins the hospital._

"It would be better if she does." At least they were on the same coin. But a coin of a _different_ value. "Do you think she's afraid of... _that_?" It was a bit strange seeing Sasuke this curious, and _talkative_. Both at the same time even more so.

"It was pretty obvious she was." Naruto shrugged it off. "Not everyone can stand still and normal in the presence of the chakra bijū emanates. And not everyone can stomach the _spectacle_ we saw in the Wave." Sasuke nodded. "It's kind of complimenting that you can." Back to making a cordial relationship with his team. Or the remnant of it.

"I've seen worse." Was the reply from the Uchiha. Of course he did. "What about you?"

"I've done worse." Naruto said, with little to no emotion in his voice. Only a relived expression. Like he wanted to get it off his chest. The second wrong did **not** make the first one right, but one bad could outweigh the other one, if worse. Making it all easier.

_Such is the circle of stress_.

Sasuke nodded. Seemingly understanding what he meant by that.

"If Sakura leaves..." Sasuke began once again, after a short moment of silence. "Who will take her place?" A good question. But the only answer he could give was a simple speculation.

"An older Genin, who also lost his team, most likely." Sasuke grunted. "Are you happy?" Naruto asked him.

"It does not matter as long as she does not hold me back along the way." Naruto rolled his eyes at his reply. Would it kill him to _not_ be arrogant for once? _Probably_.

"Sakura did not hold you back either." The words escaped his mouth. A moment he would think that Sasuke would open up more – and the next he would splash over those notions like an avalanche of snow from the mountain.

"She was an annoying fangirl." Plenty_ of time, yes. _"If she decided to quit it would be better, both for her, and for us." Sasuke stared at him.

Sasuke's reason's puzzled Naruto. Was Sakura a fangirl? Yes. But she was capable in her own right. "You are being too hard on her, Sasuke." Naruto stared back.

Possibly, for the first time, Naruto saw smiling in a teasing way. "Why are you so... defensive of her? Could it be that you like her?"

Naruto raised his eyebrow. Wondering where this deduction came from. Crossing his arms and smiling a little, he answered. "I would never steal your base of worship, no need to worry about that."

A light scowl escaped Sasuke, as he cast his eyes on the base of the bridge. "Fangirls are the most annoying kind there is, you can have them if you want." He only said.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did it always annoy you so much?" He never had fangirls, despite being from a prestigious and noble clan, just as Sasuke was – for obvious reasons of course. So this animosity towards them was foreign to him. A pang of jealousy struck him for a moment. Perhaps that was a longing for a female affection he never had.

Sasuke's black hair fell over his eyes as he spoke the following. "You don't know how _annoying_ it is when people pity you all the time. When they see nothing but an orphaned second son whose mad brother butchered his clan. When all they seek from you is the way on how they could exploit your status for their own benefit."

Naruto said nothing as Sasuke talked. He only gave a curt nod, after which the last Uchiha continued speaking. "I'm not an idiot, Naruto. I know _how_ they look at me. I know _how_ many of them looked at my clan from time to time." His eyes, now revealed, hardened in glare he sent towards the ground.

"I do know."

"You do." Neither a question, nor an answer.

"I do. Many villagers only see the Kyūbi when they look at me. The adults at least." Naruto said.

"Hn. You're as lucky as me." Sasuke said, sarcastically. "Wait until they find out about your identity. And who knows? Maybe some of those annoying fangirls will finally leave me alone."

"Oh, no." Naruto grinned mischievously. "As I said, I have no intention of taking over your following."

"Hn." Sasuke scoffed.

"Did they ever follow you home?" Naruto asked, making the conversation.

"Luckily, they did not." Sasuke said, with a faraway look. "I think they were smart enough not to push it that far."

Naruto gave a slow nod, proceeding to sit down on the bridge. "Well. You'll have to restart your clan one day – just like me. So choosing one of them could bring some ease on your shoulders."

Once again, Sasuke scoffed. "As if any of them are worthy of giving birth to the Uchiha's."

Naruto laughed at his response. "So you did _consider_ them briefly."

"What about you?" Sasuke asked, ignoring his amusement, but there was a smile on his face. "Have you consider who will be the future _matriarch_ of the Senju clan?"

"Nope," Naruto replied. He did imagined his future family one day. But never the wife. In his dreams, and his imaginations, his children all looked like him. Blonde hair, and sea-blue eyes.

"Nope?"

"That is optional." He shrugged it off. "A piece of advice, Sasuke. Avoid marrying a member of any other clan from Konoha. If you want to restart your clan, take an ordinary woman, even a kunoichi – but avoid clans."

"Why?" He had his full attention.

Naruto sighed. "They'll have a large influence in your clan in the future, and it can badly reflect on the culture of your future generations."

"Just that?" Sasuke seemed unconvinced.

"Just that." As he should. Others should not have power or influence over your family.

"Hn." Sasuke gave his usual grunt. "The same should go to you too, I guess."

"It should." Naruto gave a slight nod. The reasons were very different. _Try picking mushrooms around your own fields. _But it was not possible. For either him, or for Sasuke. For that reason, both of them should be careful. "Seeing as Kakashi-sensei and Sakura are late, do you want to train with me?"

"Hn." Back to usual grunts. And possibly a goodbye to the lengthy conversations with the last member of his rival clan.

* * *

_*Explosion*_

The smoke gas erupted from the seal traps where Sasuke landed. He landed right into his trap, but in the end, he managed to jump away quickly – before he inhaled any of the smoke. Even if he did, it would only knock him up for half an hour or so. This was nothing but a simple spar after all.

"I should have known you'd use that sort of trick." Sasuke said as he jumped over towards one of the trees.

Naruto, who appeared on the branch of another tree, smirked. "Well. We're not supposed to use lethal strikes, so I'm pretty much handicapped."

"Let's move to ninjutsu," Sasuke said as he activated his Sharingan.

"I know what you're planning but it won't work on me, Sasuke." The seal he placed on him would prevent any Sharingan user from copying his techniques. (1)

The Uchiha ignored him as he sends few shurikens towards him, igniting them into fire at a fast rate.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

The shurikens Sasuke had sent towards him ignited into fire, making them more dangerous than usual. Not wasting any time, Naruto focused on the moisture in the nature surrounding him adding to the water coming out of his mouth, exclaiming the water technique that was coming at him at a fast rate:

"Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!"

A large cannon-ball of water came out of his mouth stopping the fire shurikens that came at him a mere half a meter from where he stood – creating a minor vapor of water at its place. As the ball of water crashed with the Sasuke's attacks, Naruto quickly went for another sequence of hand seals, sensing the Uchiha's movements.

In the meantime, Sasuke did not wait a second further as Naruto prepared his defense. As soon as he had sent the volley of shurikens ignited by fire – he jumped above him and sent another volley of shurikens towards his teammate. Naruto easily dodged them, but did not 'notice' the ninja wire that was connected to them – flying around him and tying him up.

Sasuke appeared behind him with kunai in his hand, placed under Naruto's chin. He smirked, saying. "I -." But his words were cut short as _he_ felt a kunai touching his neck.

"- lose." Naruto finished, as they both stood at that large branch of a tree. Sasuke turned his head around, slowly, seeing the smirking face of his blonde teammate.

"A shadow clone." He realized. "You made a shadow clone while the space around you was covered in water vapor, is that right?"

"You catch on quick." Both of them pulled back their kunai's and the shadow clone that Sasuke thought was the real deal – dispelled.

"Here." Naruto said to Sasuke, handing him a bottle of water to drink.

"Thanks." He took the bottle and drank it up. "Why couldn't I copy anything from you?"

A smirk crept on Naruto's face. "Don't expect me to tell you that." Sasuke frowned at that, but let the matter go. Something Naruto was thankful for.

"Well." A new voice emerged from the trees. It was Kakashi. "I'm glad to see you two doing something _productive._" He pointed around to the mess of the leaves and tree branches that were spread around.

Naruto smiled, while Sasuke stayed silent.

"Sakura is not here." Naruto said, noticing that their sensei was alone, and no trace of Sakura's chakra nearby.

"No." Answered Kakashi. "I just came back from the hospital – the reason I was late. Sakura _did_ decide to become a medic-nin. I guess the Hokage-sama's words convinced her to go the other way." He said with slight bitterness.

Naruto guessed that Kakashi did not want for Sakura to be manipulated like she was. Even if he was her sensei, he couldn't go against the Hokage's wishes – and tell Sakura the truth, that she should just give up if she was not up to it.

Naruto sided with the old man on this one. Especially given the new revelations from the last week.

"So who's going to be our new member?" Sasuke asked, not looking at either of them, but at the view in front of him.

Kakashi placed his hands into his pocket, shrugged off. "Hokage-sama informed me that for the next week or two, it will be just the three of us. That is, only after that time, will our new team member be added to the team."

Naruto nodded and Sasuke grunted.

"Seeing as you two already sparred a bit." He began. "How about we go and see if there's some C-rank mission to be reserved, before another training regime?"

"Sure." Naruto said, standing up, followed by Sasuke. If everything went as he planned, then this mission would be a good vacation trip as well.

* * *

The current roster for the Team 7 entered the Mission Adminission Room within the Hokage's Tower. The Konoha elder, Mitokado Homura was the one in charge of handling the specific shinobi mission requests today. Seeing them enter the room, the elder greeted in a formal tone, his stern face in place.

"Team 7." The elder said.

"Homura-sama." Kakashi said formally, not reading his book as usual. Koharu and Homura were a bit more prudish than the old man regarding that. He placed it into his pouch. Probably to avoid bitching about disrespect from the higher-ups.

"Since you're here today." Homura looked at Naruto strangely. "There was a request for your team to do this mission, _specifically_."

"There was?" The Hatake man asked, surprised. "Who requested it?"

"Namikaze Naruto." Sasuke and Kakashi looked at him with puzzled expressions.

"I requested it, and I wanted to participate in it. I can't go outside of the village otherwise." He simply stated.

Homura coughed. "Khm. As I said, it was a request for your team to fulfill this mission. As strange as it sounds, you have a _client _here with you. So taking into consideration the extent of the mission and its parameters, it is officially classified as a _B-ranked _mission."

_Nothing less._

"And what is the mission about?" Kakashi asked, now genuinely curious.

Homura handed him a scroll with details regarding the mission and its objectives. "In here, you have the details of everything that needs to be accomplished."

Kakashi looked at the contains of a letter and raised his eyebrow at his student. "You sure didn't spare any money for this, that's for sure." He turned to the elder. "We accept this mission, Homura-sama."

"Very well, and good luck." The elders resumed writing something as he did before Team 7 came to the office.

"You two." Kakashi addressed his two Genins. "Seeing as this is your request Naruto – I believe that we should spend the rest of the day training and adjusting to this temporary placement before we embark on another mission."

"Understood, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said, while Sasuke only gave a grunt in reply.

A day of training won't be a problem.

* * *

**At the Training ground 7**

"Now... What to do, what to do..." Kakashi mused as he looked at his two students standing in front of him. He decided to brief Sasuke about the mission at hand, first. "First things first – regarding our mission for the next week." He caught Sasuke's attention, while Naruto listened in silence.

"Our mission is to retrieve _anything_ that can be found within the Uzumaki Temple on the outskirts of the village. It has been abandoned for many years now, as the last monk guarding it, died shortly before you two were born."

They both nodded. "In any case, we are to retrieve any relic or object if it's still there. We don't know if any bandits or any other curious soul ever robbed the temple. So our task is to simply retrieve anything that can be salvaged there."

"Kakashi-sensei." Naruto interrupted. "The Mask Temple is supposedly protected by seals as well. Only those who know the technique-password can enter." (2)

"And how are we going to do that?" Sasuke asked, curiosity apparent on his face.

"I know the password." At Sasuke's unimpressed look, Naruto continued. "My mother was an Uzumaki, to be more precise – she was from one of the lesser-known branches of the clan."

"Indeed." Confirmed Kakashi, nodding. "Which brings me to the second part of the mission, and that is the trip to the ruins of the Uzushiogakure no Sato."

"So, Naruto. Could you explain what brought this on? I assumed that Kushina-sama has already s anything from Uzushio that could be saved."

_Not that there was much to be taken._ She has collected a few scrolls that remained. But for the most part, Uzumaki women who killed themselves near the end, destroyed the knowledge that could have been taken by the enemy. Better dead than in the enemy hands.

Naruto was silent for a moment, narrowing his eyes as he spoke the following. "You said, back in the Wave, that Zabuza and Gatō hid on the island – while they waited for us to leave. I wish to see the homeland of my mother. And I know for a fact that she has never taken anything from the temple. There was nothing she could find in Uzushio either."

Kakashi stood there in silence. "Very well then. You paid for this mission anyway. And I think it would be a nice trip for both of you."

"Now, what to do about your training..." Kakashi mused. "As Sakura is no longer part of our team, I'm canceling the teamwork exercises for the time being. We'll be only focusing on the physical aspect." Naruto could see a slight upward movement of Sasuke's lips for a mere moment.

"Sensei." Naruto interjected and Kakashi nodded for him to speak. "I was thinking of exploring the combination of my elements." This was something he wanted to do for a long time. Maybe this was a perfect opportunity to start that training.

"A combination you say?"

"Hmpf." He grunted. "In theory, the person who has two affinities has the potential to combine the two elements into a new one."

"And you want to explore that... I see. Well... I'm afraid I can't be of much help there, I would suggest searching for something within the village's library." Kakashi advised.

Naruto nodded. While his own library had an extensive number of knowledge and books that couldn't be available to the public, the Konoha Library could also have some new information that could help him.

"I'll see you tomorrow then. 07:00 AM?"

"Don't forget your gear!" Kakashi-sensei said cheerfully.

When Naruto left, Kakashi addressed Sasuke. "So... What am I going to do with you? Lighting affinity or the Sharingan?"

Sasuke smirked. "As if you needed to ask." He flared his Sharingan as it was the most magnificent thing in the world.

Kakashi sighed.

* * *

Naruto decided to walk towards the library, thinking of his _potential_ bloodline _mutation_ on the way. Wind and Water gave Ice. A notion that made him scowl lowly as he walked through the bustling streets of the village. The last thing he wanted, was to have something in common with that Yuki bastard from Kirigakure. Ignoring their affinities.

Maybe there was another advanced element he could form? But which one exactly?

It wasn't exactly prudent of him to learn an advanced nature transformation. But it was something that was unexplored. His Wind and Water elements were mastered to their fullest. The only thing he needed was a strong shinobi to test his abilities. _No spar_. A full out fight.

On the other hand, maybe he should ditch the idea of an advanced nature transformation and focus more on a space-time ninjutsu.

He shook his head as he walked further. The Chūnin Exams are a good way to go _semi-all ought_. Naruto sighed.

Maybe the paranoia of the Akatsuki was getting up to him, and his common sense. Certainly, he needed to know where he stood. Shinobi of his age group from other villages might prove themselves useful in that regard. Naruto did not think much of the fact he considered other human beings _as tolls_. Perhaps he should tone down with drinking everything his great-grandfather wrote.

As he walked through the streets of Konoha, he heard a loud complaint from the restaurant he passed by.

"Asuma-sensei! Why do we have to stay for this long? And just for Chōji to eat! It's been two hours already! Forehead is probably training right now with Sasuke-kun. And I won't let her surpass me!" Who else if not Yamanaka Ino? Since she mentioned Chōji, it means that Shikamaru would be there as well.

He didn't see his friends only two times since the Academy. A good opportunity to catch u and see how they were doing...

Approaching the _Yakiniku Q's _window from where the sound came, Naruto was noticed by Shikamaru who was staring at the clouds from by the opened window. "Naruto?" His bored face turned into a smile, which also made Naruto happy – returning the smile to his friend.

"One and only." He said with a small smile.

"Hey Naruto." Chōji greeted him, swallowing another barbecue in the process.

"Naruto?" Ino asked, leaning from the table towards the window to see him with her own eyes.

"Want to join us, kid?" Asuma asked, extinguishing the cigarette he was smoking previously.

"I'm good, Asuma-sensei." Naruto said, waving off his hand. "I was on my way to the library, I just stopped by to see your team. We haven't seen each other that much since the graduation."

"Suit yourself." The man said with a smile.

"Where are forehead and Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked, noticing he was alone.

"You haven't heard?" He thought that at least Ino _would_ hear from Sakura – since he did not. He should try to remedy that. So much for being a role model to someone. "Well, it's not my place to tell." Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at him in question, but did not say anything. Naruto simply furrowed his own eyebrows, upwards – signifying he would tell him some other time. _Partially_, at least.

"What are you talking about? What happened to the forehead?" Ino asked again, confused – before a 'realization' came to her and she widened her eyes in horror. "Don't tell me..."

"No, she's alive. You don't need to worry about that." Naruto quickly assured her.

"I didn't mean that!" Ino quickly said with an angry expression, before her face turned sorrowful once again. "Don't tell me... Forehead won Sasuke-kun's heart?"

Asuma and Chōji did not hide their laugh, while Shikamaru massaged his temples.

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ughh, no... She did not." _I don't think Sasuke even has those urges._

"Good." Ino sighed in relief. "By the way. What _really_ happened to Sakura?" She asked, dropping the usual nickname she reserved for his teammate. She acted like a loudmouth goof most of the time, yes. But Ino could have her _smart_ moments when she wanted.

"You really haven't seen her in a long time, didn't you?" She nodded in negative. "Maybe it's better if she tells you herself. It wou-"

"Who are they?" One shinobi asked at another table – catching Naruto's attention with the tone of his question. A long line of murmurs erupted within the restaurant.

"They look like _Kumo-nins._" One of them spat. A woman.

"I know that, but would you look at them." He pointed out, almost clueless to the disdain from the snarling kunoichi who sat in front of him.

Hearing their conversation, Naruto leaned back from the window of the restaurant, looking down the road and seeing a group of Konoha Jōnin's and Chūnin's escorting _two_ women, towards the Hokage's Tower most likely. They did not look like prisoners – in fact, they walked with sheer confidence.

Looking at them, Naruto could see that both of them were very beautiful, _in body –_as his eyes darted first to the large mounds of both women's front. Looking up, he saw that one of them was a light-skinned blonde, with shoulder-length hair and blue eyes. While the other had dark skin and silver hair tied in a bun, and emerald-green eyes.

Both of them wore the – what he could guess it was, the standard uniform for kunoichi's of their village. A _revealing_ clothes and an _exotic_ look. Difference between them adding more interest to the outsiders perspective.

_No wonder people are drolling around them_. He would too, but the control of his own urges was a bit better than that of his fellow villagers.

The busty blonde did not react at how many of the Konoha's men – practically ogled at the two of them. Just an emotionless face, but her colleague obviously looked a bit uncomfortable – if her furrowed eyebrows were any indication.

"Whoa." Chōji exclaimed as he stopped eating, turning his attention to the outside and the two Kumo kunoichi that walked on the road.

"Whoa, indeed." Asuma nodded in agreement, as he also stared at them.

Ino, being the only female on the team did not appreciate the drolling remarks from her two teammates.

"Troublesome, here she goes again." Shikamaru muttered as he also turned his attention towards the foreign visitors. Although, he wore a mask of curiosity – not horniness.

"Would you two stop drolling like a bunch of perverts!? Be more like Shikamaru and Naruto!" She scolded them, a bit too loud.

A bit too loud for the two Kumo women to hear it, propelling the dark-skinned beauty to look towards the restaurant's window where Naruto stood – looking straight into his eyes, causing a look of recognition to appear on her face.

_Does she know me? _Naruto asked himself. He was pretty sure he _never_ saw her. If he did – he would surely _not_ forget. _It would be hard to do it anyway. _Naruto thought as the full view of her was integrated with his memory.

The blonde one, did not look anywhere but the road ahead of her – her emotionless face not cracking for a second. Naruto imagined she could put Danzō's ROOT to shame with her facade.

The silver-haired woman only for a mere second appeared taken-back, before resuming to walk further – and soon after, they disappeared from Naruto's view.

"Naruto." Shikamaru said with a serious expression on his face. "Was it just me, or did that woman looked like she knows you from somewhere?"

"No. I think so as well." _But from where, though?_

He decided to find out. "I'll see you guys later. I have something to do right now." He bid the Team 10 a goodbye, disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

"Oi! Wh-." Shikamaru called him off as Naruto disappeared right away. "Troublesome. Never mind." He sat back to the table, resting his head on the palm of his hand.

"What was that all about?" Ino asked.

"Beats me..:" Shikamaru muttered. Luckily for him, before Ino started complaining again for the lack of juicy gossip stories – Asuma motioned for his team to stand up, as the time for training has come.

"Finally!" Said the ever impatient Ino.

* * *

**The Hokage's Tower**

"So let me get this straight." Hiruzen said as he sat on a moderate-sized furniture. The two Kumogakure kunoichi's – Mabui and Samui, sat opposite of him. Both of them had indifferent expressions on their faces. Although, the blonde woman – Samui, had her eyes narrowed the entire time. Hiruzen mused, that it was her usual face. He didn't know what her angry reaction was like.

"Your Raikage, wants to have Kumogakure Genins participate in the upcoming Chūnin Selection Exams, in order to _improve_ relations between our village's? Improve a _non-existent_ relationship between our village's." Sarutobi said with a raised eyebrow.

Both of the girls nodded, with the Mabui being the one to answer it in words, in a formal tone and sweet voice. "It is correct, Hokage-sama. The Raikage-sama wishes to remedy our past transgression against your village in hopes of pursuing a better future. The Raikage-sama believes that the Chūnin Selection Exams are the perfect opportunity to do so."

"Mhmm." Sarutobi was _not_ convinced, even if the two women in front of him held in such a manner that didn't allow much to draw anything else from them. "He also believed that the peace talks between our villages were a good opportunity to try and take the Byakugan, wouldn't you agree?"

He was not going to be lenient towards them. These weren't the early years after Minato died. They recovered much of their strength that has been lost with his death. Physical interrogation was **out** of the question – it could cause a war. Hiruzen did not doubt that the proud Raikage would just sit idly and do nothing if his emissaries were harmed. One of them being his niece.

It also told him something else with this _arrangement_... For a micro-second, when the attention of the woman was taken aback, he cast a look on their chests.

The dark-skinned woman, Mabui, narrowed her eyes in a somewhat bitter reaction, looking downcast at the letter the Raikage has sent to him – her lips fused into a thin line, folded back into her mouth so none of her pink lipstick could be seen. Her colleague remained silent and emotionless as ever.

Mabui spoke first – bowing slightly, and leaning on the table in front of them, allowing her meaty breasts to be let loose in her uniform. "That is unfortunately true, Hokage-sama. But I would personally ask you to reconsider your decision." Sarutobi raised his eyebrow at her declaration. Doubtful that a pair of pretty breasts would sway him. He didn't become the Sandaime Hokage because of nepotism, despite what Danzō would talk behind his back, when he appointed Minato as the Yondaime Hokage.

"If any of the Kumogakure's team get to the finals, the Raikage-sama expressed his wish come in person to watch as well as to apologize for his past mistakes..."

_Bullshit. _He did not use that word many times, ever since his Genin days. Tobirama-sensei instilled a noble behavior into his students. _Tried._ No low-life words were permitted in his presence, at least. But he couldn't help but describe the girl's excuse as such. A _the Unruly_ was not someone to apologize lightly _or apologize at all_. He was too proud and wroth for something like that.

Hiruzen looked at the message from 'the Raikage'. It was probably written by someone else as well. Judging by the phrasing of the sentences, he concluded that it was probably by the woman in front of him, Mabui. It did not matter in any case.

"Mabui-san, Samui-san. I'm afraid I will have to discuss this with the village council, first. Before I give you my final answer." He told them after thinking for some time. "In the meantime, I'll have my secretary arrange for you to stay within the nearby ambassador's hotel, as it is fitting for someone of your station."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Both women said in unison, standing up and bowing slightly as they did – again, giving him a nice view of their generous cleavage. It took the God of Shinobi a reminder of his entire career not to embarrass himself with his potential lecherous reaction. What would Jiraiya give to be in his position now?

"Khm. Right then. You may leave. I will inform you of our decision, once the one is made."

As they left, Sarutobi addressed his ANBU hidden in the room. "Crow. Summon the three elders as well as Jiraiya and Hyūga Hiashi here."

"Understood, Hokage-sama." One of his ANBU guards who materialized behind him said and went to fulfill his task.

Hiruzen stared at the wall in front of him, his eyes narrowed in contemplation. What to do now? His rational side told him – he should simply _refuse_ the Raikage's request. On the other hand, his pragmatic side told him – _accept it_.

The exams, aside from being entertainment for masses, as well as a bait for the potential clients hiring the village's for their service – were also there to gouge out the strength of the other nations. If they ever participated in the same exams. Yet, Konoha did not have the same exams with Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure ever since the First Shinobi World War.

He would use Danzō's spies within the other villages to gouge out their strength. The already established spies. Or he would use Jiraiya's spy network. Officially sending his own shinobi as cover agents was pointless. Despite the opposition to many of his policies over the years, Hiruzen knew that Danzō would do his duty. _At least __on the surface__._ And as long as it benefited him in addition to the village. His reforms for the past few years have calmed him down. Or it seemed like it did.

His thoughts drifted onto the two emissaries the Raikage has sent. It was another thing that the impatient man wanted to use on him.

Konoha shinobis certainly proud themselves in their family values. _Most of the time._

Hiruzen snorted at the thought on what the Raikage experimented by sending two women to persuade him.

"Hokage-sama." Voice of one of his ANBU's, woke him up, from his musings. Hiruzen turned towards the door where the ANBU member Hawk stood, calmly, waiting for his acknowledgment. He nodded, motioning for him to speak. "Namikaze Naruto-san is waiting outside and wishes to speak with you."

_Strange_. Naruto should be on his mission by now.

"Bring him in." Hiruzen told her. He would find out what his surrogate grandson wanted, in any case.

* * *

**At the same time, outside of the Hokage's Tower.**

Naruto stood at the top of one of the buildings near the Hokage's Tower. He knew that Kumo emissaries were practically non-existent in Konoha. But that wasn't his source of interest. It was something else. Or better said – someone else.

That silver-haired Kumo kunoichi.

Or better said – once again – her _chakra_.

It was much larger than the average kunoichi from Konoha had. It was on par with some of Jōnin's of Konoha. _Dense and strong_.

Naruto knew that aside from some clans who naturally possessed the larger chakra reserves, including the women of those clans – they could still be counted on one hand.

Senju and Uzumaki clan had those as well as a Kage, if a female one existed. _No-one else_.

_No-one but another Jinchūriki __as well__. _He quickly added mentally.

She could be a relative of another Kumogakure's Jinchūriki, though. _Or even a Kage?_

But even with that, the chakra of that woman was still far from being on the same par with his own. She was not a Jinchūriki.

He sat on top of the building for the next fifteen minutes – waiting for the two women to finish their talk with the old man.

The most puzzling thing about all this was the _look_ that Kumo kunoichi had sent on his way, back on the streets. It was almost as if she _knew_ him. Or better said – knew who he actually was.

Not long after, Naruto saw two women walking outside of the tower, escorted by few Konoha shinobi – towards the nearby hotel.

Once he saw them enter the hotel, Naruto moved towards the Tower.

In front of the room, where he sensed the old man – the two ANBU's stood, unmoving. Racoon and Mouse.

"May I speak with the Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked the two ANBU's, formally.

"Wait here." Mouse masked ANBU answered – short and simple – as he entered the room. Naruto's visits to the Sandaime were quite common, and the guards within the tower knew that he was welcomed whenever he came.

Half a minute later, the guard returned. "Hokage-sama will see you now."

"Thank you." Naruto said as he entered the room.

"Naruto-kun." Sarutobi said, smiling, as he motioned for him to sit – which Naruto did, moving to sit on the couch in front of the Hokage. "What can I do for you? I thought you would be out of the village by now?"

"Thanks old man." Naruto said. "Kakashi-sensei thought we should get ready first, before we depart."

"Uhm. "Sarutobi folded his hands within his robes, raising an eyebrow as he asked the following. "I assume this little visit is having some larger purpose? Besides telling me that Kakashi is delaying your little trip?"

"Nothing can get past by you?" Smirked Naruto, but then turned serious. "There is something, or better said someone – a woman I'm interested in..."

Sarutobi coughed, interrupting him. "Khm. Well, you are in that age where members of the opposite gender pique your interest. Since you already mentioned it, we might as well have this conversation now-"

"Not that!" Snapped Naruto indignantly, earning a raised eyebrow from the Hokage as he slammed his mouth with his hand. "My apologies."

"So it's not a romantic interest?" Sarutobi asked, amused, fighting to suppress a laugh from escaping his mouth.

"No." Naruto answered as he narrowed his eyes. "You just had a meeting with one of them."

"The Kumogakure's emissaries?" Sarutobi asked, with a tone of surprise. "Why do they interest you? It wouldn't be the first time for you to see a foreign shinobi, though I admit not the one from Kumo."

"I saw them on the streets as they were walking towards the tower." Naruto said directly. "Many people turned their heads to see them – no surprise as their visits are not that common here." He snorted but again turned serious as Sarutobi listened in silence.

"Anyhow, as they walked, one of them turned her head towards my direction..." Sarutobi instantly frowned, at his following words. "...Which in turn, forced something akin to a 'look of recognition' to appear on her face."

Seeing the frown on the old Hokage deepen, Naruto decided to be the one to break the silence. "I assume you know something about this, right?"

"Perhaps..." Sarutobi muttered. "It should not be surprising that someone from the outside to recognize you – even if I did my best to hide your identity from being leaked out..."

Naruto did not say anything, waiting for the Sandaime to continue. "Which girl noticed you, by the way?"

"The one with the silver-grey hair, and dark skin tone." Naruto answered, wondering about how much she actually knew about him.

"Mabui-san?"

"I wouldn't know her name..." Naruto admitted.

"She's the daughter of Kumogakure's previous Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails." Sarutobi told him.

"She is?" Hiruzen nodded. "And that's why she has a slightly larger chakra reserves for a woman..." Naruto mumbled and widened his eyes, as the realization came to him. Up until now, he did not know that the Jinchūriki parent could _improve_ the chakra of his child. _Increase_ the chakra as well.

Hiruzen smiled. "So you've noticed it."

"It was hard not to." Naruto replied in kind. He stored that information for later use.

"Indeed..." Sarutobi commented, but turned serious right after. "She might have seen your father in you – which caused her to remember something. I believe she is Kakashi's generation. It is not a faraway notion that she might have seen Minato in person." He said, lighting his pipe. "But even if she did not, your father was famous enough. Even in Kumogakure."

_Perhaps. _Naruto thought. People in the village did not seem to notice the resemblance he shared with his father. A few, perhaps did – but kept it to themselves. "Why are they in the village anyway?"

Sarutobi exhaled smoke from his mouth. "It seems that the Yondaime Raikage wants to _remedy_ Kumogakure's past transgression's against our village, and has suggested that the Genins of his village participate in the upcoming chūnin exams."

"But you don't believe that?" Naruto concluded from the tone the Sandaime spoke with.

"Heh." Sarutobi snorted. "For nearly forty years I've been wearing this hat, my boy. I would be a fool if I did not even consider that option."

"But what, though?" Naruto asked, sourly. He already had his theory with the latest development, but...

"Since you've told me that one of his emissaries recognized you, I believe you already know." Hiruzen said, as he handed him a letter from the Raikage. "Go on and read it."

And he did. While he did not know how Raikage acted personally, his father's journal suggested that the man was not the one for formalities of _any_ kind. Sweet words of the letter betrayed his intentions, more than he wanted.

"There is a possibility that Kumogakure found out about you, ever since the Wave." Naruto frowned at those words. "But we must not discard the possibility of them finding out about through other means."

Naruto nodded. "So what are you going to do about them, then?"

"How does the old saying goes?" Sarutobi said, rhetorically. '_Keep your friends close and enemies closer..._'

Naruto understood that, answering with a smile. "And by accepting the Raikage's request, you are following that saying... A risky move, I must admit."

"A necessary risk." Sarutobi said, resolute. "He probably wants to see our current strength, but in turn we'll see his as well. Proud and rash he is, A is not stupid as many paint him out to be. He'll see our strength, and we'll see his. No doubt he's planning on sending his best as well. Kumogakure was always a bit too flamboyant compared to the others. That is... if we accept his proposal."

"I see. I suppose now, if we take into consideration that since that woman, Mabui saw me – the information regarding me will reach the Raikage."

"Correct." Sarutobi confirmed. "Whether he knew from before and just wanted to see it himself during the exams, or if his emissaries found out now is _not_ important. Your identity will come to the light anyway. We might as well give him a show to remember. Wouldn't you agree?"

Naruto grinned wildly at that. "We might as well do. It's better if he sees with his own eyes my abilities, that is – if he's doing all this for that purpose."

"Indeed so, my boy." Sarutobi smiled. "Go on now, I have a council meeting soon, and you should be training with your team. We don't want to disappoint the Raikage now, do we?"

"Of course not." Replied Naruto, as he stood up. "See you some other time, old man."

"Stay safe, Naruto-kun." His surrogate grandfather wished him luck.

* * *

**The Ambassador Hotel**

Mabui exited the bathroom after a minor shower. A long, white towel was wrapped around her body – with a minor one around her head.

Sitting on the chair near the window – her friend Samui stared at nothing in particular on the outside.

Neither of them said much, once they got to their room – aside from her saying she would take a shower due to the long trip from their village.

Given the place they were in – it was prudent of them not to reveal _anything_ by accident.

Standing in front of the mirror in the room they were staying, Mabui let go of the towel that revealed her generous chest and womanhood. But as she was dressing up, she couldn't help but think about something she saw today. Barely an hour ago, to be more precise.

Naturally. Her and Samui's mission to Konoha was also followed by an _optional_ task of finding out if the existence of Senju Naruto was correct – that is, if possible. And to her luck, she saw him not even ten minutes within the walls of Konoha.

If it was proven true – the Sandaime-sama had to be convinced to accept the request of Kumogakure's Genin's participation in the next Chūnin Exams.

Mabui shook her head, placing her palm on her forehead. She doubted that the Sandaime-sama would fall so easily to her _charms_. Granted, seduction missions were never her specialty. Until now – she was never given one. The biggest reason why she and Samui were sent on this mission, in place of another high ranking shinobi of the village, was so that the Sandaime-sama could be _persuaded_ to accept the request her uncle presented.

Mabui stopped dressing – her breasts still revealed. She frowned as she looked at them in the mirror, her right hand moving to grope the right breast for a moment. Did the Raikage-sama really believe this would sway the _God of Shinobi_, _The Professor_? The aged Hokage did not seem fazed at all.

Her thoughts drifted back to the Senju boy she saw on the streets. And with that, the potential paths the Raikage had in store for him if he was proven to be a threat.

Mabui reminiscent all the meetings where the existence of the new Senju was discussed. The Raikage and the council were _adamant_ and _eager_ for the boy to be the real deal. She did not understand the reason for their behavior. For all intents and purposes, he could very well become a threat to their village. But the elders had their reasons, and she, as a kunoichi of the Cloud deemed them wise enough not to ran their village to the ground. Ignoring their previous blunders when it came to foreign shinobi. They should have learned their lesson by now.

She continued massaging her breast, her eyes downcast in deep contemplation.

"There is no point in thinking about it now, Mabui." The voice of her friend woke her up from her musings.

Mabui turned around to face her, but Samui was still looking through the window.

"You know what I'm thinking about." Better not be direct, just in case Konoha is eavesdropping on them.

"I do." Was the short reply.

"Do you think the Sandaime Hokage-sama will accept our request?"

"Possibly." That's what she thought as well. Despite not acknowledging the _seduction _part – which probably failed. This was too good of an opportunity to pass for the Sandaime Hokage. Dealing with the council was just a mere formality most likely.

"I think so as well." Mabui said, completely dressing up now, and moving towards the window, looking at the village of Konoha. "We are not allowed to leave for the duration of our stay..."

"Not surprising." Samui added, lowly, but with a look of slight hate towards the village. Something that startled Mabui for a second. A crack in her usual facade was an uncommon thing. Mabui being her best friend was the one to see them for the most part. Still. It was always tense when it came to the light.

Mabui's emerald green eyes darted onto Konoha once again. She knew very well why her friend hated this village – even if she rarely showed it, and never publically at that.

It does not matter in the long run anyway. Their duty was to accomplish their mission – complaining about _minor _things was out of the question. Mabui only hoped they would _not_ be meeting a representative of the Hyūga clan. For her friend's sake at least.

* * *

**Tomorrow, the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple**

The trip to the temple was short and uneventful. The temple itself was around ten miles far from Konoha. After meeting Kakashi-sensei at the front gates at 08:00 AM, an hour later than what the original plan was – they began their trip. Naturally, Kakashi had to check out if their gear was in place. Standard procedures and all...

"Well... I certainly did not expect it to be in this state." Kakashi commented, once they arrived at the temple.

"Yeah." Naruto said with a frown. "It's as if the hurricane passed through this place."

Sasuke said nothing as he looked silently at the surroundings of the temple. And it really did look like it was a victim of a natural catastrophe. The roofs were damaged and the front gates were breached. The right side of the building looked like it was about to collapse as well.

"Let's go inside." Kakashi said.

The temple's interior was no different than the exterior.

"It looks like some people used this temple as a place to stay..." Some wooden palisades from the outside were found on the inside, just under the hole on the roof.

Naruto picked a remnant of the wood which laid on the ground. It was burnt from one side. Desecration of the religious building disgusted him. Desecration of the one that belonged to his mother's clan – even more.

"There's no point in being angry about the past now." Kakashi placed his hand on his shoulder. "We still need to see if there's anything that can be salvaged from this place."

"Yes, sensei." He placed the wood on the ground. One day this place would be rebuilt as well. For now – evacuation.

"Here." They heard Sasuke call them. He pointed on the stone wall by the edge of the room. At the top of the stone wall, a symbol of the Uzumaki clan was drawn, with a line of formulas up and down from all sides.

_Let's see if something remained. _Shinigami masks are supposed to be stored in there.

Kakashi and Sasuke stood behind him, their hands in their pockets – looking at what Naruto was about to do next.

_Snake – Dragon – Horse – Ram. _He went through a few hand seals, placing his fingers in the middle of the clan's symbol on the stone.

The symbol lighted itself and move leftwards – opening a new path, almost something like that of a basement.

Naruto moved down the hallway into the new room, with Sasuke meaning to follow him. That is, until Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder – stopping him.

"We're staying here, Sasuke. It's better if Naruto do this alone." He nodded towards him, and Naruto gave a quick acknowledgment in thanks.

Sasuke was a bit disgruntled but relented anyway.

Hallway itself was not spacey, but it was not tense or long either. It took him only a few steps to reach another room. A new room, one that was almost like the usual basement of any other house.

At the front wall, dozens of different mask stood there – hanging.

_Perfect!_

Naruto took three scrolls from his backpack – a red, blue, and yellow one. From what he knew of these masks, it was better if the balance of their placement was not disturbed. The previous monk probably moved the masks here by the end of his life.

It did not take him long to do it, a half-hour at most. As soon as he finished, he decided to go back to Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke. The two of them stood near the entrance to the temple, apparently chatting. A strange phenomenon, especially with Sasuke. He wasn't know as a talkative person, but their latest failed mission must have affected him in a different way than it did him and Sakura.

"Finished already?" Kakashi asked him

"Yeah." Naruto answered. "There wasn't much in there anyway. Just a bunch of masks that were hanging on the wall." Better not say what they're all about with Sasuke here. Despite the cordial relationship between them, Naruto _was_ always weary near the last Uchiha. It did not have anything to do with power, for he was far stronger than him.

But with blood on the other hand...

There was _something_ in their blood. The theory that the Senju and the Uchiha clans descended from the legendary Sage of Six Paths aside – something within Naruto told him it had nothing to do with _that_, but weariness on a more personal level. Something that went beyond the feud of their clans – yet still connected with the blood of both.

"So what will you do with those masks? Now that you have them." Kakashi asked, with a bit of curiosity.

"I was thinking of building a temple within Konoha." He admitted. The Senju park perhaps. But he was no architect. Perhaps he could hire Tiger to do the job for him? Or learn architecture and carpentry and do the work with his clones one day. In any case, he placed those ideas in the back of his mind.

"Hmm." Kakashi stood in his thinking pose, his pointy finger on his mask-covered chin. "That's alright I suppose, but how are you going to repopulate your clan if you're celibate? Dedicating yourself to guard a temple excludes having a family after all..."

"_Ha – Ha. _Laugh all you want sensei." Naruto interjected, sarcastically. "With the way you're going, my children will probably be older than yours."

"Found a better half already, have you?" Kakashi said, still smiling, as they walked out of the temple.

"No." Naruto replied, as if the words ran from his mouth. "By the way sensei..." He got Kakashi's full attention. "Why haven't you married by now? I figured as the last member of the Hatake clan, you'd be constantly pestered by the village council to get married?"

The last Hatake said nothing, only walking in front of Naruto and Sasuke who were behind him. "I guess I got lost on the road of life..." He only said in the end, moving further away from the temple, as the two boys stopped walking in his wake.

"What was that all about?" Sasuke asked Naruto, a slight frown appeared on his face.

"I don't know." He admitted. Whatever troubled Kakashi-sensei was something that he did not know about. Thinking about it more, he actually did not know his dad's old student as much as he would like to. The more he talked to him, the more he thought he knew him, but in reality, he was even more mysterious.

"Let's go."

* * *

**Land of Fire, north-eastern minor port**

"A trip to the ruins of Uzushiogakure you say?... Hm..." The local fisherman, named Yoshikata mused, rubbing his bearded chin as he did so. His son, Yūsuke, a young man, a bit older than him and Sasuke, with shades of blonde and black hair – stood there, staring at the three Konoha-nins, with a look of distrust and resentment. But otherwise said nothing.

They had just arrived at the small port on the shores of the eastern lands of the Land of Fire, after two days of travel. Now, they were standing near the pier of the local fishermen's house.

"Have you gone insane!?" The fisherman exclaimed. A reply one might not have expected from the jolly man a moment before.

"Nope." Kakashi-sensei said happily, as if the request was the most common thing in the world. "We would really appreciate it if you could take us there. We will pay of course." Kakashi turned to Naruto, inciting his head to take out the money.

_Fair enough_. He requested the mission, and he'll pay. "How much?"

"I don't need your money boy, as I have no intention of going there." Yoshikata said, kindly.

"May we know why you're against it so much?" Kakashi asked.

The fisherman's mood turned sour. "You name it. First of all, the Uzushio island is a den of bandits and pirates from what I know..."

"That shouldn't be a problem for us." Kakashi interrupted. Naruto mused internally that it wouldn't be. If the said pirates had some missing-nins with them on the other hand... Depending on their numbers – it could pose trouble. Zabuza hid there with Gatō. It is not out of the specter that more missing-nins make their lair there. Albeit, the chances were slim from what he knew. Zabuza could have very well be an isolated case.

"Second is the transport itself. While yes, I do have a ship to transport you there." He turned to the moderate-sized boat. It could take them there. Better that than to go to another port. This is the closest route. "The trip itself would end before it even began..."

"Why?" Naruto asked him. Surely not due to the ship. It looked perfectly able to take them there.

Yoshikata turned to him, giving him a bitter smile, after which he turned towards the sea and pointed it with his finger. "There's a sea monster that has been terrorizing these waters for the past twelve years or so. Nobody travels by the sea from here for that reason. That's why only fishermen remained in these parts." He told them, before continuing.

That, and probably due to the insignificance of the port in the larger scale of things. Uzushiogakure is gone, while the port was close to the borders of the other nations. Too close. And too insignificant for trade.

"Daimyō-dono and his court are not interested in this port anymore. It's too close to the borders of the rival nations. That's why most of the financing was sent to the new port, down the south..."

"It has been a blessing and a curse. On one hand, the pirates avoid our shore here due to that _monster_, but I fear the village will die out eventually, as the people will move to other ports for more business. You can't live on fishing for eternity... I mean, you can, but the life grows dull as the time goes by, he-he." He smiled bitterly in the end.

"But why didn't you consider moving away as well?" Naruto asked him.

Yoshikata gave a sad smile in return. "I was born here, my boy. Just like my father was, and his father before him. The man must sometimes visit their graves. Otherwise, they'll get lonely."

Naruto's expression turned downcast. A stupid question he asked. Of course sentimentality has a large role in convincing people to stay at their place of origin. Nothing could convince him to leave Konoha. Everything he has, and everything he does not have – is there and was there.

Kakashi listened to the old man's tale, after which he turned to his two students. "What do you say? Up for a fishing lesson?"

* * *

**The next day**

"Ha-ha-ha! Never in years I thought it would be that easy!" Yoshikata exclaimed, laughing as he stood at the back of his boat, controlling the floating by the tiller. His son standing beside him, occasionally shooting minor glances towards the three Konoha shinobi, as he helped his father. "We should have hired a shinobi years ago. I'm so going to brag to the boys back home about this, he-he-he."

Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi commented nothing, as they sat in silence on the wooden benches on the quarterdeck. Sasuke was his usual self, while Kakashi read his book. They got rid of the monster for free. In turn, the fisherman took them to Uzushio for free as well. Fair deal.

Naruto sat in silence as he _stared intensely_ at the Fūma Shuriken that laid on his lap. More specifically, the sealing formula on one of its edges. He knew very well what this formula actually was. It's was a binding technique that the Uzumaki clan used in the past. They found it on the Giant Marlin's forehead, preventing the beast from returning to its summoning realm. Another thing that troubled him...

"Thinking about who could have left the summon for so long? One that once _belonged_ to the Uzumaki clan, out there?" Kakashi asked him, almost as if he was reading his thoughts.

"And who left the binding shuriken on the forehead of the said summon." Naruto added, a frown on his face in place.

It was not hard to beat the summon. Although, summoning Gamabunta would bring more harm than good for this occasion. The easiest part was removing the seal-based Fūma Shuriken from the merling's head. After that, the beast returned to his realm.

"You do know what that means?" Kakashi asked, looking slightly from his book, not expecting a negative reply from him. But instead of Naruto replying, the young boy, Yūsuke added his own 'two cents'.

"It means that you shinobi have brought nothing but suffering to this land with your stupid and _pointless_ wars!" He snarled, propelling his father to admonish him for his words.

"Yūsuke!"

No wars were stupid. You fought for the survival of your home. What were they going to do when Iwagakure or Kumogakure attack them? Organize an orgy?

"It's okay Yoshikata-san. The boy has the right to be angry." Kakashi waved it off. Naruto did not think like him.

"The summon was there from the time after the Third War, and long after Uzushio was destroyed." Naruto whispered, to no one in particular, as the reminiscent of the previous day returned to his mind.

Which meant something else. A hypothesis that he never thought up, until now, that is.

The _two members_ of the Uzumaki clan fought near this territory sometimes after the war – long after the destruction of Uzushiogakure. Yet he did not know who they were, or from which branch of the clan either of them came from.

His mother never mentioned any other survivors. Aside from the old monk at the Mask's Storage Temple – Honinobo. Surely, if any other survived they would come to Konoha to restart their clan. Yet none came.

Today's encounter with the Giant Marlin changed everything. He knew for sure that two survivors were out there. Were. One, or maybe even two were dead. And have fought one another.

Another thing that bugged him – was the reason for _why_ would they fight one another in the first place?

The Uzumaki clan, being a cadet-branch of the Senju's, though separated long ago, kept the close ties throughout the ages – still embodied the family values of the clan. A notion of kinslaying was so... _Uchiha-like. _Slowly, Naruto turned his head towards his teammate.

Sasuke was looking onto the sea around him, looking uncertain of something.

"Won't the whirlpools prevent us from reaching the island?" Sasuke asked. So that's what troubled him all this time.

"No. We're lucky that whirlpools aren't that common here around this part of the year. It'll take us around day and a half with my ship to get there." Yoshikata said as he stood in the back. "Northern and Eastern side of the former country has the whirlpools for the entire year. South and West are generally safe from them."

That's why Kumo and Kiri managed to destroy it, in the end. Given the natural affinity of its shinobi towards the Water, Kirigakure improvised the attack from the east, while Kumogakure attacked from the west by the Land of Hot Water. In the end, whirlpools on the east were not enough, and given the joint attack of the two of the Great Five, the village's defenses crumbled, leaving it destroyed in the days that followed.

An incident that started the Third Great Ninja War. The deadliest one until that time. No alliance remained in place. The alliance of Kumogakure and Kirigakure's fell apart, and they began fighting as well.

Without Uzushio's help, it was a miracle Konoha survived.

Fighting on the three fronts against Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri. _Luck_? No. The old man's _leadership_ saved them. As well as the skill of their own shinobi. On the other hand, they were lucky that the other villages had their own, other fronts to fight.

In any case...

The more he saw of the outside world, the more questions popped inside his head. Hopefully, he would find something in the ruins of Uzushiogakure regarding any surviving members of the clan.

* * *

**The ruins of Uzushiogakure no Sato**

"And here we are. Uzushiogakure no Sato." Yoshikata said as they landed on the pier. Better said, what was left of it. "Or better said, what's left of it." Good to know they're on the same page.

"I never thought it would be like this..." Naruto muttered as he looked around the home of his mother. All the buildings collapsed or were about to collapse.

"Man... The last time I was here was probably at least twenty years ago or so..."

"And how was the village back then?" Kakashi asked him, as the group walked towards the center of the former village. In front of the statue of the two shinobi, one that represented the Senju clan, while the other one represented the Uzumaki clan. The two men were shaking hands, signifying kinship, and the alliance between the two families.

"Better than now, that's for sure." The man muttered, as he picked the Uzushio's headband protector and cleared the sand from it. "My father took me once to this place. Back when it was still thriving... Our port had a good trade with them. What about you, Kakashi-san? Have you ever been here before?"

"No." Kakashi said, shaking his head in negative. "This is my first time coming here."

"I see, I see...Why did you guys come to this place, by the way? Not much to be found in these ruins."

"Well..." Kakashi looked at Naruto, looked at his back to be more precise. But indicated nothing else but: "Someone hired us to scavage anything that can be found here."

"Headbands, artifacts, anything that remained here as the time went by." Naruto added as he looked at the statue in front of him.

"The statue as well?" Sasuke asked, sarcastically, as he walked to stand beside him.

Naruto smirked at him. "The statue as well."

"Here." Sasuke said, as he gave one headband to Naruto. "So what will you do with all of these." He looked around. Few headbands were laying on the ground, like children's toys that were left in every part of the room without a care for the world. Probably due to the tsunamis that are frequent around here.

"I'll place it within the future shrine, along with any other object that I find. The clan may be dead, but at least their memory can live on somewhere." The Senju park had an abundance of space for such a memento to be built. All at the later date.

"Maybe I should do the same." Strange, he never took Sasuke as a sentimental person.

_But_.

Given the fact he wanted to avenge the Uchiha clan, it was to be expected. The only thing Naruto did not know is how would Sasuke do that. It was a question he had asked him.

"I don't know." Sasuke answered., his eyes seeming distant.

"You already have the Naka shrine." Naruto said, looking at the statue in front of him, as the four shadow clones he made – surrounded it, preparing to seal it.

The only thing he got was a small nod.

The statue disappeared in a smoke – sealed within one scroll that Naruto brought with him. One of the clones approached, giving him the scroll, after which he disappeared along with the other three.

"So, Naruto." Kakashi got his attention. "How do you want to proceed with this mission? As you were the one to commission it in the first place, I believe you should be the one to decide the way we're doing it."

True. He was the one. That was one of the reasons. He already had plans on how to do it.

"I will do it myself, sensei. No offense, but this is personal." He said in a monotone voice.

By the looks of Kakashi, he did not seem perturbed by such a decision. In fact, it was almost as if he expected it. "I see. Well, it's your decision in the end. Shadow clones can certainly help you in the long run."

Naruto nodded, as Kakashi continued. "Sasuke and I will train in the meantime." This time, Sasuke perked up hearing that. To each to his own business.

"I'll be going now."

Kakashi gave a short nod, turning to Sasuke next. "The two of us will make the camp for the duration of our stay here." Sasuke grunted, unpacking his backpack in the process. "Yoshikata-san."

The fisherman who was silent for the most part listened up now. "You said you wanted to fish for the time here?"

"That's right. That won't be the problem with your mission, right?"

"No, it won't be. Just don't stay too far away from the camp. We don't know if any other monster might be lurking around. Or even if some pirates and missing-nins decide to land here."

"Fine with me. Come Yūsuke, we have work to do."

"Hn."

_It seems that Sasuke is not the only one who prefers the traditional Uchiha clan's grunt. _Kakashi mused inwardly.

* * *

In retrospect, the island looked like it was a victim of dozens of earthquakes, tsunami's and wars all happening at once. Granted, the capital island of the Land of Eddies was a victim of a tsunami – the Uzushio was most likely given the same treatment. It made Naruto wonder if the Uzumaki's protected the archipelago from natural disasters back in the day somehow.

_It doesn't matter now._

Walking through the ruins, it made a depressing feeling to appear in his stomach, and his heart tightened as he looked around. It did not help that the sun has started to settle, with the sky being unusually red, with clouds black.

_Sky red, and cloud black_.

If one thought about it more, it could mean many things. The one thing he associated first with the current weather was the _Akatsuki._ Up until now, luckily, he did not have any clashes. _Luckily_.

But the sky was different now. The clouds were black, whereas the Akatuski's were red.

"A bad omen..." Both signified similar, yet different things.

According to the rumors, the red cloud of the Akatsuki represented a new dawn, a revolution they would bring upon the shinobi world.

The black clouds are warning. On a red sky, they said that blood would be spilled for a viewer. Call him a superstitious person, but nothing in his life was without a reason.

_And bad weather. _"Maybe we really shouldn't sleep under the sky tonight." Naruto muttered as he looked above. A river he passed by reflected a red sky.

Naruto sighed. Maybe nothing bad would happen, and the omen was a warning for someone else. _Hopefully_. But one should never remain complacent.

Making a shadow clone sign, Naruto created at least a fifty shadow clones – before they dispersed to their jobs. Three clones remained, proceeding to pick up the few headbands that laid freely on the ground around him.

Walking further through the ruins of the village, Naruto came upon a large building, built in traditional architecture. Surprisingly, it was one of the buildings that looked better off than the others.

Naruto pushed the entrance door of the building, causing it to fall flatly to the ground. Inside the building, he could see various artworks of the clan that hung on the walls.

"A museum?"

Maybe. Konoha did not have one, but Uzushiogakure was apparently more _culture-minded_ than other shinobi settlements. Even more of a pity that it is dead now.

He took another scroll from his backpack and started sealing a picture by picture. The pictures themselves showed Uzushiogakure in various periods of history, from the time the Uzumaki's were founded as a clan, to the first two shinobi wars. When he got to the latest picture, one that stood behind the table, Naruto noticed a piece of paper that was tapped to its backside.

"This is getting more like a treasure hunt." He muttered out loud. Gently taking the paper he looked its contains.

"Well, what do you know..." It was a detailed map of the Elemental Nations, but with various bases and estates across it, that once belonged to the Uzumaki clan. The Mask Storage Temple near Konoha was also marked on the map.

Naruto did not fight a satisfying grin that appeared on his face. He placed the map into his pouch, vowing to investigate all of these colonies one day. Maybe he would find more Uzumaki's out there, and maybe even find out about the two members of the clan who fought each other. But all at the later date.

He walked to the outside once the latest picture was sealed, deciding to go back to his team. But before he did, a clone that was gathering headbands near the easternmost hill – dispelled, sending his memories to him. A particular memory that came to him – were the three chakra signatures the clones sensed, which were located on the far eastern side of the village.

For a moment, Naruto considered relaying this message to Kakashi-sensei. The clones that were around the camp would not say anything without his approval anyway. In the end, he opted to investigate this alone.

* * *

**On the far outskirts of the village.**

"It's just a bunch of stupid and worthless masks. Who needs this shit?" A shinobi with an Amegakure forehead protector and a mask complained.

"Quit complaining and search further." A woman with short and brown hair scolded. The only woman of the three.

The masked man addressed her. "Hisame, you can't possibly enjoy this _treasure hunt_? We should have joined up with Suien and help him search for Hero Water in Taki. He'd pay us well."

Naruto did not know who Suien was, but he heard about Hero Water of Takigakure before. He stood hidden in the trees, that surrounded another Uzumaki Temple, listening, as the three shinobi continued talking to each other, unaware of his presence.

"I agree with Kirisame." The third and the last member of the team said. He had spiky grey hair. "And who knows? We may get a piece of that power for ourselves."

"You two are idiots if you believe Suien would share anything with you." Hisame admonished them. "Besides." A frown appeared on her face. "Takigakure is too close to Amegakure. I want to be as far away from Pain as possible."

Another unknown and dangerous man that Naruto never heard of before. And judging from the flinch that escaped the other two, he should not underestimate him either.

"That wretched bastard... Not even Hanzō-sama could beat him." The grey-haired shinobi said, looking at the ground with a bitter look. "I still can't believe he managed to kill _him_ of all people."

This was new information to Naruto, for he, and everyone else in Konoha still believed that the legendary leader of the Hattori clan still ruled Amegakure. Was this Pain guy a new leader of that village? It was strange that no one had heard about it until now. Perhaps the old man knew but opted not to tell him. He certainly did not have a reason to do so. Despite their bond, Naruto was still a Genin after all.

"Be lucky that we have never crossed his path, Murasame. I don't even know how he looks like, and I pray _he_ doesn't know how we look like in turn." Hisame said.

"So it was a good idea to ditch Kandachi. That guy is probably dead by now." Kirisame said, grinning in pride.

"Heh. I sure hope so. If he is, Pain might forget about the rest of us."

"So what do we do now?" Murasame asked, holding one mask from the temple. "If Kiri and Kumo deemed these masks worthy, they would have taken them by now. As would anyone else for that matter."

"Noone but the pirates and occasional other missing-nins visit these islands. The former are too dumb to understand what these are, and the latter just want a temporary safe heaven from hunter-nins."

"Tch. We're lucky Ame does not have its own hunter-nin divisions." Murasame added. "So what should we do with them?"

"Let's just gather them and sell them to some collector out there. If the Uzumaki's thought they were precious enough to be granted a temple of their own, they must worth something." Kirisame said. "Not to mention, my gut is telling me we should burn this place to the ground later."

"Glad I'm not the only one." Chuckled Murasame.

"Fine, let's just get it over with-" Hisame said, but she stop saying anything once she saw a kunai embedded within Kirisame's eye. "What the fuck?" She managed to evade a kick from Naruto's knee in the last second, jumping back from the temple along with Murasame.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, you fucking brat?" Murasame shouted.

Naruto heard enough of their conversation from the tree, and decided they weren't worth enough of staying alive. He swallowed the spit that gathered in his mouth, along with the knowledge of his first willing kill. He did not look at the body, he would leave that for later.

"Killing you, that's what I'm thinking of doing." He stood near the entrance to the temple, the dead body Kirisame behind him. The other two stood in front of the temple, around ten meters away.

"As if. I'm not getting beaten by some blonde shrimp!"

"Murasame, don't be so rash!" The woman warned him, but he ignored her.

Murasame jumped forward, engaging Naruto in taijutsu clash. He pulled a kunai from his pouch, attempting to stab Naruto once he got close enough, but his attempt was in vain, as Naruto sent a strong strike to his stomach, robbing him of the air.

Quickly pulling a ninjatō from behind his back, Naruto dismembered the rouge Amegakure ninja with one precise hit.

The woman looked shaken at the view she got. The two of her teammates were dead, barely within a minute.

"You won't beat me so easily!" She said. Naruto doubted that. She was as dead as they were.

She went through the few hand signs, exclaiming "Water Style: Black Rain Jutsu!" The black rain started falling from the sky.

_An oil._

No matter. He quickly focused on the water vapor in the air and the trees, replacing himself with it, once the kunai with explosive tag, lighted the oil into the fire, which erupted at the place where she thought Naruto stood previously.

Naruto appeared behind her. "Water Replacement."

"W-what?"

Naruto's ninjatō was placed under her neck, as Hisame whimpered. "I... I give up. But please... Please don't kill me."

"That depends if you cooperate." He told her in a monotone voice. Naruto hoped his voice would not crack. He had a slight element of surprise to these three, even if they weren't particularly strong, to begin with. One should never let his guard down.

"I'll... I'll tell you everything you want." She swallowed once, as the sweat started dripping down her forehead.

"Who is Suien and what is he planning?" The first question. No information should be discarded. The mission in Wave taught him much. It taught him he should not do a mission half-way, and should not trust every information he received.

"Suien is a high-ranking Jōnin of Takigakure."

"Then why are you, _rogue Ame-nins_, dealing with him?" He brought the blade closer to her neck, it's sharp edge touching her skin for a mere moment.

"W-we've known him from the Third War. He sent us a messenger recently where he asked us to join him in obtaining the Hero Water." That should not be surprising. Ame-Kusa-Taki were known as the Three Sisters of the shinobi world back in the First War.

Just to be sure in further investigation, Naruto placed a chakra-suppressing seal on her back – activating it right away. Followed by an additional seal, _just in case_.

"Wha-What are you doing?" She asked, sensing her chakra being drained away.

"Nothing that you should concern yourself with." Naruto said, still holding the blade in his other hand under her chin. "Now. Who is this Pain you three spoke of?"

Naturally, just like her teammates before, she flinched in fear. It seems that this Pain gives that vibe to _others_, once they hear his name from _other_ mouths.

"I don't really know." She said, quietly.

"That's not good enough!" He brought the blade closer to her skin once again.

"I really don't know!" She insisted. "I never saw him. I only heard rumors about his power!"

"What sort of power?"

"Just that he is stronger than Hanzō-sama, who he apparently killed. At least that's what Kandachi told us, Hanzō-sama's right-hand man."

Naruto listened to what she spoke. "Continue."

She swallowed the spit in her mouth once more. "Amegakura was embroidered into a civil war for a decent number of years after the Third War. It wasn't as bloody as the world war itself, but the occasional rebels appeared from time to time. It all escalated to a boiling level a year ago, when a man named Pain appeared, along with his right hand, the _Angel_."

"An _Angel_?" It almost seemed like a religious cult of sorts, with the way she spoke of them.

"Yes. An Angel. I saw her once, during the civil war. She wore a crossed forehead protector of our village, but also a black robe with some strange red clouds on it."

"The red clouds?" Now his voice cracked, as a sense of dread passed through his body.

"Yes, the red clouds." Hisame answered, calmly, looking at the flames she had caused a few minutes ago.

Naruto digested her words in silence, looking at the back of the woman he held hostage. _The red clouds. Akatsuki._

Noticing his silence, Hisame raised her hand up, and pushed the blade from her neck, and Naruto's hand, attempting to flee.

Her movements alerted him right away. The blade in his right hand might have dropped, but with quick reflexes, Naruto activated another seal on her back with his left hand – knocking her unconscious as the lighting shock flew through her body.

Hisame fell to the ground, unmoving, with only weak breath signifying she was alive.

Naruto looked at her, but she was not on his mind. _The_ _information_ she gave him was. All of this would need to be examined, in a more detailed manner. If Akatsuki had a village behind them, it could cause much more problems to the shinobi world. Not to mention him.

Perhaps they wanted to give each of their members a village of their own? _Perhaps_.

**"_So you haven't found out who wants to pull me out from you?_"** The fox asked him, suddenly.

_"You've been silent for the past few days. What brought this up?_"

**"_It grows dull, being in this cage sometimes. I must compliment you for getting rid of those weaklings. You really have the heart of a killer._"**

"_Save it, __Kyūbi. I'm not in the mood for your baits._" The fact he just killed two people and feeling no remorse from it worried him. But he would be damned if the fox abused his emotions for something more sinister. "_These weren't my first kills, anyway._"

The fox chuckled inside his cage. **"_But you did kill them. Yet you're acting all high and mighty when it comes to my nature._****" **It was not the time to get philosophical with the fox.

"_Was there ever some sort of a cult that tried to capture you?_" Naruto asked him, changing the subject.

**"_No. The only group that tried, were those pesky lighting attackers, led by two twin bastards of your clan._"**

"_Kinkaku and Ginkaku?_" Naruto knew the story of those two brothers. Made in lust, they were a product of intercourse between an unknown Senju man, and a woman from the Land of Lighting. They were also the ones who stole the _Treasured Tools of the Sage_ from his clan. Taking them to Kumo, and helping with the formation of that village.

**"_As if I would know. The only thing I remember was that their chakra was similar to yours._"**

"_Well. Those two are the only bastards of my clan who led a lighting based shinobi, and tried to capture you at the same time." _At least they died childless, so the power of the Senju would not be in the possession of another village. "_Were there more people who tried to capture you? Beside the Uchiha's and the Shodai Hokage?_"

**"_Well. Yes, there were. But all of them tried to do it individually. No religious cult tried to do it._****"**

"_That's not saying much._"

**"_Heh. These new ones are the most interesting, I admit. From the butcher of the Uchiha's, to the unknown Angel woman._"**

"_I'm glad that a hunt for my life gives you so much satisfaction, __Kyūbi._" Naruto dryly said.

**"_Worry not, human. With me, you'll be safe._"** He wanted to laugh at that, but he let it go. **"_So what will you do with that woman? Kill her?_"** Naruto looked at rouge Amegakure kunoichi that laid on the ground. Killing her would bring him nothing.

"_I will take her as a prisoner_." The village would interrogate her much better, and much more efficiently than he would. And hopefully, it would give Konoha more advantage to fight the Akatsuki if the information she provided proves to be true.

**"_As you wish._" **The fox did not complain about his decision.

He took an emergency prisoner scroll he always had with him from his backpack, sealing her away. Before he returned to his team, Naruto noticed that the fire she ignited would not calm down any time soon. And it could potentially destroy the temple and the forest before he salvaged anything from it. Before he extinguished the fire, he made sure that the other two bodies were destroyed before he left.

"Water Style: Giant Waterfall Jutsu!"

As the fire was extinguished, Naruto returned to the camp. While jumping from tree to tree, many of his clones dispelled. Finishing their job in their sectors. With the way things were moving – everything would take much less time than an entire week.

For the sake of the future interrogations, and his own curiosity – he'd convince Kakashi-sensei of teaching him the _Psycho Mind Transmission_ technique.

* * *

"It was about time you've joined us, Naruto. Sasuke was worried that something might have happened to you." Kakashi said, as Naruto jumped near the bonfire that the rest of them made, and were currently sitting. The various headbands that his clones gathered were pilled up near them.

Sasuke scowled at Kakashi's comment, who ignored it as he laid by the fire doing his favorite activity.

"Yeah, I was... distracted, to say the least." Naruto said, choosing his words selectively.

"Distracted?" Kakashi questioned, looking at him with his one visible eye.

"I ran into three missing-nins from Amegakure." Now he got Kakashi's full attention, as the man rose up into a sitting position.

"And?"

"Well... I beat them pretty easily." Naruto shrugged it off. Opting not to say much about findings of his interrogation, especially with two civilian transporters that sat near the fire, eating the fish they had caught for the evening. "And I've captured one as well. I thought about giving her to the village to interrogate further."

"And?" He questioned further.

Naruto shook his head. It was not the place. "I just sealed her away in a prisoner scroll. The old man will know what to do with her once we're back in the village."

"Good choice." Kakashi complimented as he stood up. "It looks like it's gonna be a storm tonight. We better go inside." He motioned for the nearby building. Better safe than sorry. '_Safe_' is a generous word. If a tsunami or a storm hits them in the following days, the building they take shelter might crumble. Naruto was not worried for himself, or Kakashi and Sasuke for that matter. They would easily evade any damage.

Yoshikata and his son could die if they were left unchecked. God forbid if any other missing-nins stumbles upon the island in the following days.

"Here you go, kid." Yoshikata offered him a piece of fish that was grilled on a fire previously – once they settled inside of the local building.

"Thank you, sir."

"No need to thank me." He said with a smile. "The fish around this island is amazing. I haven't tasted it for a long time. And I doubt I'll taste it ever again."

"You better stock up the supplies of it then." Kakashi advised.

"I hear ya." Yoshikata answered. "So, kid. You found anything interesting on this island?" He asked Naruto. "Besides these forehead protectors and a statue, of course."

"Plenty of interesting things, Yoshikata-san."

"Good, good. It seems your trip wasn't for naught. Why'd you decided to come here anyway?"

No one said anything. "My mother was from this island." Naruto eventually answered as he stared into the bonfire inside the building that Sasuke lighted up. The cracking sounds of the wood filled the occasional silence that filled the air around them. "I just wanted to see where she lived at one point in her life."

Seemingly, the old fisherman understood, and gave an understanding nod to him. Before he said anything else, his son, Yūsuke said something.

"I'm going to change myself. If you'll excuse me." He stood up and left the room.

Once he left, Sasuke, curiously, asked a question. "Is there any reason why your son looks like he wants to kill us in our sleep?"

Yoshikata flinched for a second, before answering. "His mother, my wife, Ayano, was killed by a shinobi when he was very young."

The Konoha men frowned hearing that. Yoshikata continued. "Our village was attacked by a few bandits, led by a shinobi. None of us stood a chance, but my wife, being a hothead that she was, tried to resist." He said with a nostalgic smile, before his face turned into a sad frown. "Yūsuke started hating shinobi and anything that has any connections to your jobs."

"But you don't hate the shinobi?" Naruto asked. At least he did not get any indication to even think that. If he did hate them, though... _I might be getting rusty. _He thought, as funny as that sounded in his head.

"I met enough people to differentiate _good_ men from and _evil_ men." Yoshikata said, his frown morphing into a smile. "And I can see that you three are good men, although, it wouldn't kill you to smile a bit more, ha-ha-ha."

Despite the situation, all three of them smiled in return.

Yūsuke returned not long after, only bidding good night, better said, a good night to his father. Naruto did not blame him for doing that. He had a right to be angry. But no right to disrespect the shinobi and their own sacrifices.

"I'll be going to sleep as well. 'night guys!"

They returned the wishes.

About an hour later, the rain started falling outside. The bonfire still burned as Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi remained awake.

"It really looks like it is going to storm soon." Naruto commented.

"It really does." Kakashi said. "Good thing we placed barrier seal around the building."

Yeah, a good thing.

The three of them walked outside as the rain poured from heaven. They stood beside the building as the balcony above the entrance-door protected them from getting wet.

"Sensei." Naruto began, and Kakashi turned his head towards him. "Why did you remained unmarried until now?" He asked. The question circled around in his head for the past few days. Ever since his weird answer at the Mask Temple.

Kakashi at first remained silent.

After a minute or so he sighed and began. "I guess." _He better not mention the road of life. _"I'm the type of guy possessed by a curse of loneliness."

Both Sasuke and Naruto looked at him incredulously, as he continued speaking. "The closest people to me died. My teammates. My sensei and his wife." Naruto eyebrows fell down hearing that. "My father."

"So you don't want to get close to anyone because you're afraid, they'll die as well?" Naruto looked at Sasuke. Those close to someone dying could help the other Uchiha awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. Did Sasuke looked at it that way? He knew that Kakashi had Sharingan, but not it's next stage.

Naruto realized, he was surrounded by people who suffer. From his closest ones in the village, to those he would meet along the way. Yoshikata and his son. Tazuna and his family. He _refused_ to believe that it was the result of the shinobi world. Evil men exist, regardless of their profession.

"Well. Something like that. Or so I believed until a few years ago." He said, getting a bit more relaxed with each word. "But some wounds take a longer time to heal. And I'm not sure if I'm mature enough for marriage. Or even children for that matter. I'll wait to see how you two turn out first."

"Sensei, are you a _man going his own way_?" Naruto asked, smirking, attempting to lift the mood further. Kakashi-sensei did not look like that type of guy. But better check it first.

"No. But once you have a few conversations with either Anko or Kurenai, you may become one." Kakashi said, chuckling.

"Maybe you should seek someone from the outside, you know. I saw two potential brides for you the other day back in the village, now that I think about it."

"And they are?" Heh, despite avoiding the marriage, Kakashi did read Jiraiya's porn books. At least he held a healthy appreciation for faired gender.

"Well." Naruto began as he reminded himself of the two Kumo kunoichi's from the streets of Konoha. "The blonde one had the biggest breasts I ever saw."

"Okay, I'm calling it a night." Sasuke said, in his Uchiha monotone voice, leaving the two of them alone and going back inside, as the rain continued falling into the night.

"There is some sort of cold war between him and female kind, I believe." Naruto muttered to Kakashi.

"Mah. Let him be Naruto." Kakashi said, with a tone of understanding. "He has his own demons to fight."

Naruto nodded, understanding what Kakashi meant with that. In a way, it was admiring that Sasuke was normal as he could be, despite everything that happened to him.

"But tell me, who were those two women. Maybe I know them?" He smiled under his mask.

"As I said, the blonde one had the biggest breasts I ever saw." The picture of them flew through his mind.

"Then you haven't seen your aunt Tsunade in person."

"Ha-ha-ha. No." Naruto chuckled for a moment. "But I heard enough stories about her from uncle Jiraiya."

"And the other one?"

Naruto's face turned curious as he looked at the rainy sky. "She had dark skin and silver hair."

"Not uncommon in Kumogakure." Kakashi added right away.

"No, it is not uncommon." Her exotic look wasn't the reason why she interested him. Sure, she was well endowed and all. But _pick mushrooms around your own fields _was the philosophy he abided by. "I found out that Jinchūriki can increase the chakra of his children."

"One of them is the daughter of one?" Kakashi concluded.

"Indeed." As he said that, the lighting struck something in the distance.

"We better get some sleep as well, Naruto." Kakashi said, placing his arm on his shoulder. "I'll take the first watch. Just in case."

"Understood, sensei." But as he moved back into the building, Naruto turned back once more. But instead of another lighting in the distance, he saw a massive whirl of wind forming in the middle of the sea, with few storms surrounding it. Dangerous and deadly.

_A_ _tornado_. Something he never saw before, and having an opportunity to see it first hand, the picture embodied inside his mind.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

(1)I made a reference to this back in Chapter 2 near the end. A reminder: The seal on Naruto, that Tobirama created, can prevent the Sharingan-user from copying the way chakra is molded within the person's body. He can memorize the hand-seals, but they are easy to be remembered for some, even without the Sharingan. Those that have the photographic memory that is.

(2)I never understood why did the temple was left so "open" and neglected, so I'm going with something different here. Naka Shrine had its own entrance, why not this as well?

I want to avoid arcs and stuff like that. So for any mission I have, it will be one chapter most of the time. Barring Chūnin Exams, which will be split into three chapters, most of the things will be resolved in one. I'm usually writing 10.000 words per chapter, and I think that's reasonable.

So Naruto, Kakashi, and Sasuke had a small family bonding conversation. But intuition from Naruto's side prevents him from fully trusting Sasuke.

And no. For now, no pairing or anything. Any pairing I chose, I will do it if I believe I can make it happen. I have some plans with Mabui, and I left a few clues in her pov. I also indicated, slightly, on what Naruto's bloodline will be. I had something different in mind for a bloodline initially, but I discarded that option eventually. It is a bloodline from the novels.

In the next chapter, I will (re)introduce a new member of Team 7. There will be one more mission, within the village there, and after that, the Chūnin Exams will start, which will be split into three chapters if my calculations are correct. Maybe four.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if it was a bit late. I had some things to do first, but now I'm free again.

~HyperboreanRealist.


	8. The past and the present

**Chapter 8: **The past and the present.

* * *

**To the Guest review**: I initially did write few lines out there with Naruto having a fuin tattoo on his arms in Chapter 3, but it seems that I deleted it in the end. In any case, I will keep your suggestions in mind. Thanks!

* * *

**The Warring States Era, The Senju-Uchiha battlefield**

The fifteen-year-old Tobirama was lost in time as the battle raged on around him. His clansmen were killing the Uchiha's and were being killed in turn. He already killed a few of their adults, not regretting his action for a moment.

Another Uchiha adult jumped in front of him. The remnants of the burnt ground around him. _A pyromaniac clan_.

_No. _This was not an Uchiha. Tobirama looked at the battle armor of the man in front of him. He had dark blue pants and torso with the light blue pieces of plate armor on him. And a feral look of _hate_ on his face. _So some of them joined the Uchiha's in this attack..._

The young Senju gripped his sword tighter. He knew very well what these monsters were capable of doing. His brother, Kawarama died because of them. By a rejects of their clan. _The Hagoromo clan_. Allies of the Uchiha. If the Uchiha's had their palms covered in Senju blood, then Hagoromo's had the entire hand up their shoulders drenched in it.

"You wretched little bastard." The man grinned evilly as he looked at him, preparing to attack. "I'm going to enjoy killing _Butsuma's brat_." Just what he needed_. Another vengeful and delusional idiot._

Tobirama did not move, his grip on his sword was unwavering. "You are welcome to try." It wouldn't be the first time he fought against them. This would be nothing.

"Oh, I will. I fucking will!" And he charged towards him, engaging into the kenjutsu skirmish.

The Hagoromo shinobi had the raw power, he had the strength. But Tobirama had the speed necessary to avoid his strikes, and retaliate in turn.

"You're a fast little fucker, aren't you?"

Tobirama did not answer as he went for an attack. He moving his blade towards the enemy, attempting to strike him straight into the chest, but the men reflected his attack with his own sword. And once again, Tobirama was on defense.

The Hagoromo shinobi went for his own attack, trying to slice Tobirama's head from his shoulders. But the younger Senju man evaded it, by simply crouching down at the speed that his opponent was unable to follow.

As he crouched down, Tobirama sliced the left leg of the men, incapacitating him.

"Aghhh." He yelped in pain. "You fucking son of a whore!" He dropped his sword right away, gripping his leg in pain, attempting to stop the bleeding. _In vain_.

"This is the end." Tobirama stated as he now stood above him. His face was stern, but with no pleasure, he would do this. Only for _duty_. He held his sword above him, while his wounded enemy still knelt on the ground. When he looked up, his face was full of fear. But he did not beg. A true shinobi.

Tobirama ended his misery with one precise strike. His sword moved straight into the enemy's neck – ending his life.

The Senju teen did not wait for the light of the Hagoromo shinobi to leave his eyes. There was no need for it. Every second was of importance in this battle. He was tired himself after the hours of fighting, but for the sake of his clan, he would keep moving.

He jumped through the battlefield that was sprinkled with dead bodies, both of the Uchiha and Hagoromo's shinobi, but of his clansmen as well. Though, in far fewer numbers.

He jumped on the nearby rock, looking around the field. In one corner near the hill, he saw the three of his clansmen surrounding an Uchiha shinobi.

_Uchiha Izuna. _Tobirama saw they surrounded him of all people. But before Tobirama could join them, another Uchiha attacked him, and he was forced into a defensive position for a mere moment, before killing the man. Again, with his sword. It would be pointless to waste chakra on him, and the others. That was reserved for a tougher beasts. Beasts like Izuna for example. Luckily, lately, the number of those who could pose a bigger threat dwindled in both the Uchiha and Hagoromo clans.

He looked towards the rock where Izuna was. Tobirama focused his chakra, sensing their strength. His three clansmen were above the average power, in comparison to the others on the battle. But Izuna was wasted. He would die. _Just like Itama did_.

Tobirama went to join them, and deliver the justice for his younger brother, and many other clansmen. The war was prolonged because of the Uchiha's lack of will for peace. No matter how much Hashirama tried to milk it from them. Or better said - milk it from Madara.

About ten feet far from their location, Tobirama sensed Izuna gathering chakra in his eyes.

_What?_

And then he sensed the chakra surrounding his three clansmen.

"Amaterasu!"(1) Izuna shouted, and the black flames erupted near all three of his clansmen, spreading all over their bodies.

_No! _Tobirama moved through few hand signs, clapping his hands in the end, and focusing his chakra and the water in the air around him.

"Water Style: Water Shockwave!" He sent the massive wave of water towards them, wanting to extinguish the unfamiliar black flames. Izuna jumped above, to the hill that was behind him. All the while covering his right eye with his hand.

Once the water settled down, his clansmen laid dead on the ground. And the black flames still surrounded them.

"What!?" Tobirama questioned as he saw the flames still burning, not being toned down a bit, if anything, their reach extended. They were as black as the eyeliners from the eyes of the Kyūbi. And wicked as the eyes itself.

"Ha-ha-ha. I thought you were smarter than that, Tobirama!" That impudent vermin Izuna taunted, but he still held his hand on top of his eye. "You should just see the look on your face right now."

Tobirama did not fall for his taunts. The emotions were useless on the battlefield, but it did not change the fact that the rabbling of that Uchiha vermin annoyed him, even more than he wanted to admit. "What sort of the attack was that?"

"The ultimate power of _the __Mangekyō Sharingan_!" Izuna grinned in satisfaction. "This is why the Uchiha clan is superior, Tobirama. You will never reach our potential!" He removed his hand from his eye, revealing traces of blood he did not have before.

_So that's how it goes._ Tobirama narrowed his eyes as he saw the state of Izuna's right eye.

Whenever he used that ability, his eyes would take the damage as well? If his theory was correct, there was possibly a cooldown between the time when he could use it again. Or maybe Izuna just opted not using it, due to his currently low chakra reserves.

Whatever the case was, in either a foolish moment of pride, or just a pure ignorance – Izuna partially revealed much to Tobirama in a matter of seconds.

"Tobirama!" His brother shouted from behind as he jumped near him. Hashirama looked tired as well. His fight with Madara must have ended in another stalemate, as he could sense Madara's chakra appearing near Izuna at that same time.

"I'm fine, elder brother."

"Pheww. I'm glad to hear it." And he's back on his idiotic mindset. Sometimes, Tobirama wondered how his brother lived for so long. "What are we going to do with them?" He inclined his head at the two Uchiha brothers who stood on the small rock-hill twenty feet in front of them. Madara looked more tired than Hashirama and even more tired than Izuna. If his younger brother has a death wish he might stay and die.

_Hopefully, he does_. Tobirama gripped his sword once again as he looked at the two Uchiha brothers. But Madara opted for a different approach, as he and his brother disappeared in a puff of smoke.

_Or not. _Rationality outweighed Madara's pride this time.

"Man, that intense. I have never fought against Madara with such passion." His elder brother exclaimed, falling on the ground in relief. "He can sure give a strong punch. That golem of his, he-he."

"Hashirama!" Tobirama sneered, and his brother tensed. "Look!" He pointed to the three burning bodies of his clansmen, and unextinguishable black flames. "And not just them, but look around you. What's there to celebrate? The Uchiha's have a new power to help them!"

"Oh, they have that as well, huh?" Hashirama scratched his head for a bit, giving him a foolish grin in return.

Tobirama sighed. And then it clicked him. "_That as well_? What are you talking about? Does it have something with Madara's golem that you mentioned?" He crossed his arms, waiting for Hashirama's explanation.

"Yeah." And _finally_, he turned serious. "Madara called it _Susanoo_. He summoned a giant skeleton avatar of chakra around him. You did not see it, we were too far from the battle anyway..."

"Izuna called those flames of his – _Amaterasu_."

Hashirama nodded. "It seems they both awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. And both of them have different abilities as well."

"Great, another troublesome affair." Tobirama muttered. He could sense when and where Izuna would send his flames. If he was _fast_ enough, he _could_ evade Izuna's attack if it ever came to that sort of attack again.

_Hmm_. This required the _additional_ studying, as well as training.

"At least we've won this battle, Tobirama. No need to be grumpy with that." Their cousin, Tōka, said as she walked towards them. "Tough, I admit that the Uchiha's are getting more troublesome as time goes by."

"Oh? And what could they do to annoy you to such extent, Tōka-chan?" Hashirama asked, smiling.

"Stop calling me that!" She complained. "You're a clan leader, Hashirama. Do you know how much is it affecting the morale of our clan when you praise Madara and the Uchiha's at the every step you take, or when you're acting so irresponsible?"

"I... It's an honorable and healthy appreciation of your rival." Hashirama insisted. Will he ever forget that part of his childhood, and a friend that chose to turn back on their dream? Tobirama remembered very well who it was who severed that 'bond' as much as he loathed using that word.

"She is right, elder brother."

Hashirama buried his face into his hands. "Not you too, Tobirama. How many times do I have to tell you..."

"Enough with that!" He shut him up. "For heaven's sake, grow up already. Neither you nor Madara are children any longer. What happened between you two is a history."

Again, in his childish manner, Hashirama pouted. _Never mind then_. He's still going through puberty. "How did your part of the fight went on?" He asked their cousin who stood there, watching them argue in amusement.

"Not bad, to say the least. One Uchiha slut managed to copy one of my genjutsu's, but I got rid of her before she could pass it to the others. More and more of them are awakening Sharingan. I even saw one of them using one of your Water techniques, Tobirama."

Tobirama frowned hearing that, ignoring the crude language she used. Another troublesome affair that will need to be dealt with. "What is the status of our forces?"

Tōka answered. "We have lost approximately thirty-six shinobi." Both Senju brothers frowned at hearing that. "The enemy, however, lost more than a hundred. We have beat them. Soundly." She said, smirking. Finding at least some satisfaction in a lake of tragedy.

Those were the good news, as his other clansmen cheered around him. He did not join them, however. It was just postponing the inevitable. With the way this was going, they might _lose_ eventually. The Uchiha's and Hagoromo's were much more numerous than the Senju's.

"I believe we won't be having another battle in the next few years after this." Hashirama stated.

_Correct_. More time for them to recuperate and increase their training. God forbid more of them awake the Mangekyō. Why did the Heavens give them such dangerous weapon? As if the copying of the other's abilities was not enough. The Uchiha's were getting stronger, at the fast rate with the way things were going until now.

_The speed! _That's right. That shall be the counter to Izuna. Ideas already appearing in his mind, Tobirama allowed a small smile to grace his face, as his clansmen still cheered for victory around him.

He would counter their copying as well. The battle today _proved_ that the Senju's were stronger. But anything can crumble when countless termites overwhelm you. And their wooden fortress would not stand forever with that in mind.

"Tobirama." His brother addressed him with a sad smile. One that was lacking the usual spark in his laughing eyes. "It is time to bury the dead."

"Right." He nodded. He just needed to remove that black flame from the three bodies. But maybe he could explore the basis of those flames as well.

_Time for some Fūinjutsu application._

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, The Hokage's Office, Present day**

Sitting in his office in the Hokage's Tower, the Sandaime read the contains of Iwagakure's newest edition of the Bingo Book, that his old friend, Maruboshi Kosuke, brought from his latest border patrolling mission. Hiruzen sighed, placing the said Bingo Book on his table. As if they needed more trouble. Ōnoki most likely couldn't resist but place another burden on his shoulders. Hiruzen was tempted to jump straight to Iwa and challenge the Sandaime Tsuchikage for a duel, but discarded such notion, immediately.

"Thank you for delivering this to me, Kosuke." Naruto's caretaker nodded, serious expression in place. He was on a patrol duty by the land around Land of Grass, engaging a group of three Iwa brothers. Before the three brothers fled, one of them dropped the Iwagakure's latest Bingo Book.

To both Hiruzen's and Kosuke's shock, initially, the book had the abundant information regarding Naruto. His _real name_ included. They had another break in security. The surveillance of key archive buildings should be monitored more closely. Or everything should be transported to a more protected and hidden underground facility. _It really should_.

"What do you make of this, old friend?"

Kosuke was silent for a moment before answering. "Given the date they have published the book, I'd wager that the Ōnoki-dono is placing this as a warning, although a possibility of an assassination attempt should not be discarded."

"I'm of the same mind as you." Hiruzen nodded. "We should not be lax with the defenses of our northern borders in any case. I believe Kumo already knows about this as well."

"Mhm. You said that one of the emissaries recognized Naruto-kun? Maybe they got the info from Iwa and proceeded to investigate the credibility of it."

"Maybe. I don't know." Hiruzen said. "It does not matter in the end. His identity would be revealed anyway, but I'd prefer it if we did not have any interference before the eventual day. Something like that is not possible now."

"You assume that either Iwagakure or others might send the assassins to eliminate Naruto-kun?" Kosuke asked with a frown.

"Indeed. His team is already one member short due to the semi-failed mission I have told you about. I need to find a suitable replacement first..." Hiruzen said, looking at the Eternal Genin, contemplating the potential development.

"Do you have someone in mind?" Kosuke asked.

"Maybe I do." Sarutobi was smiling now, as the realization came to Kosuke.

The man sighed. "Hiruzen, I already have told you before, but I have no intention of advancing further in ranking..."

"You don't need to be promoted in the long run." Hiruzen interjected. "You just need to fill the place for the first two rounds of the exams. It is allowed to quit before the third round. It certainly _happens_ all the time. "

"But surely, there would be someone else who is more suitable to be their teammate." It wouldn't be Kosuke if he did not refuse one of his offer of being honored as it is due. He would accept this in any case. The refusal was much meeker than usual. Sarutobi mused he still clung to it due to the tradition or his silent stubbornness.

"I somehow doubt that very much." Hiruzen continued smiling.

Kosuke sighed, but then gave a smile of his own. "Duty falls upon us all, and we should not flee from it."

Sarutobi nodded. "Indeed. It will be only for the duration of the Chūnin Exams. I won't force you further than that. That is of course, unless you want to join another team in the near future."

"He-he. I think I will pass on your offer, Sandaime-sama. When are Naruto-kun and his team due to return to the village?"

"He is scheduled to return today I believe. He should finish his little trip to Uzushio by now."

"Mhm." The Eternal Genin grunted. "I suppose this little task won't be meaningless. I'll do my best to guard our future generation the best of my abilities."

"I couldn't ask for a better guardian, old friend."

"What will you do with Iwa now?" Kosuke asked him, going back to the most important subject at the moment.

Hiruzen contemplated for a moment, looking at the map of the Elemental Nations that hung on the wall to his right. There wasn't much he could do here. For all intents and purposes, Ōnoki did not breach any peace agreement from the Third War.

"Nothing but wait. I'm more concerned about the Raikage's involvement than I am with Ōnoki. In any case, I won't be lax with our defenses to the north. If either Iwa or Kumo decide to invade us. They won't be our ending."

Kosuke nodded. "Have you decided what will you do with the Raikage-sama's offer, regarding the Chūnin Exams?"

"I spoke with the elders, Jiraiya and Hiashi..." Kosuke listened. Hiashi was a primary concern for making this decision. The past between his clan and Konoha's rival village was tense, _at best_. In reality, it was hostile, bordering a stalemate war-like state. Just like he had to move Yamanaka's from the north-western borders of the Land of Fire, he had to move the Hyūga shinobi away from the North-eastern border. Less to provoke another war, even if the occasional skirmishes occurred over the years.

"He was not against the _decision_ to allow Kumogakure's Genin to participate, but he suggested we should limit their numbers for better surveillance. I thought the same. So only five teams will participate."

"Just that?"

"He also said that he will bar his daughter and her team from entering the exams. Kurenai has also told me that she has problems with Hinata's self-confidence. Hearing the experience from the girl's peers at the exams might help her exit her shell, at least a bit I hope."

"It might annoy her other teammates, they are from Inuzuka and Aburame clans, yes?"

"They are. A tracker team-" He was interrupted by a knock at the door, with the voice of his secretary.

"Hokage-sama." His secretary spoke behind the doors. He allowed her to enter and continue. "Naruto-san wishes to speak with you. Does he have permission to enter?"

"Of course." Minato's son was always welcomed. And from what he knew he hadn't seen Kosuke in a long time as well.

A moment later, Naruto entered the room.

"Old man." He greeted him, and right after he saw Kosuke in the room as well. "Uncle Kosuke?" Naruto approached and hugged his surrogate uncle. "I haven't seen you in months. How are you?"

"He-he. I have been doing rather well lately. But you can blame Hiruzen for placing so many duties upon me..."

"Guilty as charged." Hiruzen smiled. "But someone has to do it."

"It sure does."

"So, Naruto-kun. How has your mission passed? No problems I assume?"

"Nope. It went on perfectly fine. Well... As fine as it can get with me." Naruto said, scratching the back of his head and having a small smile on his face.

Sarutobi raised his eyebrow in question, but otherwise said nothing. Kosuke was silent as well waiting for the boy to speak.

Naruto pulled a scroll from his pouch, placing it on the table in front of him. "In this scroll, there is one missing-nin from Amegakure. I killed the other two, but I did capture one of them. You might want to check the things that are happening in the Takigakure by the way. From what I overheard of their talk, it can be prevented if we act on time. And I believe the Torture and Interrogation Unit might find her useful regarding one of our _bigger_ problems..."

"What sort of problems?" Hiruzen asked, as he took the scroll into his hand, casting a small glance at it, before looking back at Naruto.

"The Akatsuki problem." Both he and Kosuke frowned at hearing that, and the following report from that part of the mission. Defeating three missing-nins was not an easy job for a Genin, and Hiruzen certainly felt pride at listening to Naruto describe it. Taking a prisoner even more so. Connection to the Akatsuki, however, opened a new front for them to fight against.

"You can rest easy that I will have my men look into this, Naruto-kun. And indeed, we have heard conflicting reports from Amegakure lately. Some say that Hanzō is still alive, and some say he is dead. I don't need to remind you to keep it to yourself. Especially considering the fact that the Akatsuki might be connected to this."

"My lips are sealed. But you will tell me if you find something, right?" Naruto asked. And he had the right to know. But Hiruzen couldn't in the right mind tell him _everything_.

"I will." He said, mouth placed in a thin line as he did. "How did the rest of your mission go? No more missing-nins to trouble you?"

"Sadly, no." Naruto smiled as took the seat to the nearby chair. "I searched through the various temples on the island, including the one near Konoha, one that was abandoned."

"Found anything interesting?"

"A lot of masks, both in that temple, and the ones on the island. Your former teammate, Homura-sama, was pretty pesky when it came to that during our report. I swear. It was as if the man almost considered those masks his own property..."

Hiruzen sighed, rubbing the side of his head in annoyance. "He and Koharu got rather complacent in their position. I'll warn him not to do it again..."

Naruto waved it off. "I was meaning to ask you something else..."

"What is it, Naruto-kun?" He said nothing else, only unsealing another scroll, that revealed a large Fūma Shuriken. "I assume there's more to this?"

Naruto nodded, pointing on a sealing formula that stood on the edge of the weapon. Hiruzen recognized it right away. "Is this..." Judging by the Kosuke's expression, he did too.

"It's an Uzumaki sealing formula..." Kosuke said, as he took a closer look. "Did you found this on the island as well, Naruto-kun?"

"Yes – I mean, no." He corrected himself. "It was stuck within the forehead of a Giant Marlin, a summon of the Uzumaki clan." He continued describing Team 7's fight against the Giant Marlin, and discovery of the Fūma Shuriken and it's task of keeping the Uzumaki summon out of his realm.

Frown on him and Kosuke deepened as Naruto told that tale. "I assume you got a theory of your own?"

"I do, and I was wondering if you know something about that?"

"I'm afraid not." Naruto narrowed his eyes at his answer. "While the possibility of more Uzumaki's surviving is not out of the question... I can't be sure that those two shinobis who fought one another, _are one_. A tradition of the Uzumaki clan dictates that family stands before the power. That was the reason why the first Uzumaki's separated from the Senju clan in the first place."

Naruto was ruffling through his hair the entire time. "I guess. But it won't kill to hope, would it?"

Hiruzen smiled a sad smile. "No, it wouldn't."

"By the way. I found this map as well." Naruto said as he pulled it out of his pocket, spreading it across the table. "Apparently these may be the colonies and estates of the Uzumaki clan across the continent. See." He pointed at the Uzumaki clan's temple near Konoha, followed by the few islands south of the Land of Fire. "These three islands are listed in a possession, but otherwise I know nothing of them..." He muttered by the end, no doubt annoyed for not knowing what it was. His expression was almost like that of Minato when something did not go his way.

Back on the subject, Hiruzen looked at the map more throughout. He did not recognize any of those islands, nor did he ever saw them on any other map out there.

"Have you ever heard of these?" He directed the question to Kosuke, who leaned forward, looking at the map with a frown.

"I don't believe so..." Kosuke stated, looking up at him. "I never saw islands south to the Land of Wind on any other map. Naruto-kun, where did you find this map exactly?" Hiruzen never saw them either. Maybe no-one bothered to travel there in the first place. No one but the Uzumaki's.

"In an old building in Uzushio. It was something akin to a museum of sorts I believe. It was behind one painting."

Hiruzen decided to give his own opinion. "I can arrange for an expedition to be made in the following months, after the Chūnin Exams."

Naruto gave a slow nod. "That's fine with me. As long as I get to go, of course."

Sarutobi smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way. So what else did you brought from this mission?" He probably gave Homura less of the information than he believed.

"Hundreds of headbands, a statue, few paintings that stood in some buildings. Those that survived at least. And dozens of masks of course."

"Do those masks have any purpose?" He saw Naruto's lips morphing into a thin line.

"I found them in temples, but I don't know of what use can they be, yet."

Hiruzen suspected there was more to this than meets the eye, but let the matter go. If he knew anything about them, he would have told him. As he did with the potential location of the Akatsuki.

"Khm. In any case... I'm glad your mission was successful, but there are other matters I need to address now."

Naruto sat still, listening.

"I'd rather prefer if we had your other two teammates for this, but you can relay them this information tomorrow."

"What information?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The status of your third teammate of course." Hiruzen said and smiled as he looked towards Kosuke, before turning back towards Naruto. The Senju quickly connected the dots and gave a large grin in return.

* * *

**Three hours later, at the Ichiraku ramen's stand**

"So you got the idea of combining wind and water to create a tornado, wind strengthen by the water when needed?" Kosuke asked as he and Naruto sat in his favorite stand, eating ramen and talking of various things that happened for the past few months since he became Genin.

He also couldn't believe that his surrogate uncle would be also his teammate. The old man outdid himself with this arrangement.

"Pretty much." Naruto said once he ate the last noodle. "I mean, it is not impossible if you get my meaning. Iwagakure and Kumogakure have plenty of shinobi who combine the two elements to create a new one in turn."

They did, but it did not mean that the user of those advanced nature transformations was always stronger than the one who does not have it. He thought he would find something on Uzushio, but aside from the masks he did not know the use of, he did not find much. The supposed 'colonies' of the Uzumaki aside.

"Kumogakure and Iwagakure have the blood necessary to do so, even if those who utilize those abilities are not clan-based." Kosuke said.

Naruto knew that as well. _Lava release, Storm release, Boil Release, Magnet Release, Swift Release_. Just to name some bloodlines who are common in those villages. Well. 'Common' is a generous word. From what he knew, less than two percent of shinobis in those villages, respectively, could use those elements. Still, it gives plenty of prestige to the village's name. One that washes away their defeats in the past wars. Or at least they wanted to believe.

They had the blood, or DNA, necessary to create those advanced elements in the first place. Few people did it in the past, and passed on that ability to the future generations. Hence why those advanced nature transformations are not attributed to the clans. As you did not know who is humping who in those two villages.

"Prepare me another one, Teuchi-san." Naruto said, getting the positive reply from the owner. After which he placed his hand on his chin in a thinking pose as he waited for another bowl of ramen. "I don't think there was anyone with _tornado release _ever recorded to exist."

His surrogate uncle chuckled. "I don't think I ever heard or saw someone with it either." (2)

"It doesn't kill to be original somewhere, doesn't it?"

"I guess not. Hiruzen tried to combine Fire and Earth into Lava, but was never successful in doing so."

"True." Naruto nodded. "Yet his combination techniques are renowned across the Elemental Nations... Speaking of the other nations... How do you think Iwa got the info of me?" The old man and Kosuke told him of that development after briefing him of the new addition to his team. Being in Bingo Book was something he expected, but not so soon into his career as a shinobi. It was something he dreamed about many times. But now that he saw his picture in one of them – it was as if kunai hung under his neck.

Yet at the same time, he was not as afraid as he thought he would be. Excitement was a better word to describe the feeling he was having, but the traces of both fear and paranoia were there, deeply hidden. But they were there.

"I don't know. It is possible that someone leaked it from the village. Or that Iwa made a connection of their own. Everything is possible."

"It won't hurt to be curious." Naruto muttered, as Teuchi came back with his bowl of ramen. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Naruto." The Ramen owner smiled. For a brief moment, Naruto wondered if he was the one who leaked it, after previously making a connection somehow. But he shook his head, ashamed of his thoughts. Neither Teuchi, nor his daughter looked the type of people who would do such a thing. A traitors even less.

As he ate his bowl of ramen, Kosuke spoke once again. "You shouldn't worry yourself that much, Naruto-kun. The Tsuchikage is not someone to risk the safety of his village for an assassination incident in the peacetime. The wisdom comes with age as they say. And after many failures of Iwa in the past, I don't think he would act rashly and in open. The Yondaime Raikage on the other hand was never the one for the assassinations anyway, even if he is too rash and impulsive sometimes. That man would sooner kidnap the target and use it to strengthen his village somehow."

Though, Kosuke used a rather polite tone, Naruto understood the meaning of those words. The Tsuchikage would make it an _accident_ during one of his missions. So as to make no connections to Iwa. The Raikage on the other hand _would_ try to kidnap him – like he tried to do with Hinata – and perhaps use him as a breeding tool for his own future forces. Naruto's Bingo Book could certainly tempt the village leaders to do such a thing. Bloodline theft was common long ago, but it doesn't mean that the practice is forgotten or banned. And even if Naruto did not have any particular bloodline, the prestige of his clan, and the knowledge about the strength of their blood and chakra was known across the nations.

For a moment, as he ate his food, Naruto thought who would the Raikage use to do that, if he ever opted to that alternative, that is. As he thought about it more, he realized that the kidnapping was out of the question, for he was not a three year old. However, there were _other_ ways to do get what one wanted.

Looking at the two pieces of egg and brown meat in his bowl, Naruto remembered the two Kumo emissaries from the previous week. His lips moved slightly upwards as he thought of such things. Though he promised himself to store that info for _later_.

Kosuke chuckled, seeing his reaction, but Naruto did not comment on it. He merely continued eating the food in front of him. His smile still on his face.

The ate and talk at the Ichiraku's for an hour or so, before deciding to go and train a little. Tough Kosuke had something to add regarding that.

"It seems we won't be able to train for longer. It looks like it's gonna be a stormy evening and night."

"Yeah. It looks like it." Naruto said as he looked at the sky.

* * *

**Tomorrow, Konohagakure no Sato, The Hokage's Tower**

_Heavens, that man never learns_. Hiruzen thought as he looked at the large entourage of the Fire Daimyō's court approached the Hokage's Tower. Much more than it was necessary for a _simple_, if political visit. Had this been a welcoming ceremony for a Chūnin Exams final matches, it would have been one thing. But this was pointless in a larger scale of things. Aside from the fact that the Feudal Lord arrived a day earlier than it was arranged. Hiruzen had to scramble everything at the fast rate.

_It looks like they've all brought their wives and children as well. _Hiruzen mused it was a way for a royal court to show off their power, or as to present themselves as a true reigning power of the Land of Fire.

A completely unnecessary show of 'power'. Granted, by the official laws, the ones that Shodai Hokage-sama agreed upon, the Daimyō of the country was at the top of the hierarchy. A system that was copied by the others as well. But unlike the other villages, Konoha always had a good relationship with the Daimyō and his court. However. Everyone knew where the real power resided here. But there was never a need for manipulation.

Hiruzen stood at the front. The two of his bodyguards, Namiashi Raidō and Shiranui Genma flanked him from both left and right. The village elders, and the other various village officials stood not far behind him. Along with the heads of various clans of Konoha. A welcoming ceremony was a tradition in any case.

Many villagers flanked the main street that led to the Tower. Throwing flowers at the streets through which the Daimyō's carriage walked over, cheering at the sight in front of them.

Koharu and Homura had a content look on their faces, while the reaction of the various clan heads varied. From the indifference to a content smile, but even the annoyance and boredom.

_I can't blame them._

The main carriage-wheel stopped in front of the entrance of the Hokage's Tower. Hiruzen could both see and sense few of his shinobis that stood either hidden, or in open, protecting the Feudal Lord and his entourage. Ever since that incident a few years ago, when Itachi's team was attacked by an unknown missing-nin, he strengthened the protection of the Daimyō. In both the Capital, and during his travels. After the debacle with that incident as well as that of the Twelve Guardian Ninja's, this was a far better improvement.

Better safe than sorry.

"Daimyō-dono." Hiruzen gave a slight bow to the man, followed by the rest of his council and the clan heads. The Daimyō gave a content smile in return. "Welcome to Konohagakure no Sato. Your presence emanates peace, joy, and prosperity whenever you come here. I hope your stay at Konohagakure is pleasant for its duration, along with your court."

He seemed pleased with his words, giving few hums and nods here and there. "I see. I see. It is always a pleasure coming here, Hiruzen. We have much to discuss in the following days, yes?"

"That we do, Daimyō-dono. I'm glad you were welcoming of Konoha's suggestion regarding the Wave country."

"Ah, yes. That one. But I'm interested in the increasing of the defenses of our country as well." He clapped his fan onto the palm of his hand. "I forwarded the request to the Land of Hot Water regarding the Gatō and his scheming, in any case. They won't be able to protect criminal activities that come from their country any longer and we can send your shinobis to investigate it in detail." He motioned for a young boy, an attendant, to approach holding a box filled with scrolls in his hand.

"Thank you for your assistance, Daimyō-dono." Hiruzen said, motioning for one of his own assistants to take care of the documents. "We will make sure something like that never happens again."

"Right! See to it." Daimyō said, turning towards the others present who were still there, having a look of satisfaction as he looked around. Tough, he made a slight flinch under Danzō's impassive stare.

Sarutobi sighed at the show in front of him. He proceeded to remedy the situation by going onto the subject of the lord's visit. "Shall we discuss about the border defenses, Daimyō-dono? It is the purpose of this visit, and just two weeks before the Chūnin Exams are to start." He sent a glare towards Danzō, warning him to stop with his games. It was as if the man turned to jester whenever the Feudal Lord visited. No doubt he was still bitter regarding Minato's election as the Yondaime and his reinstatement to the position after the formers death.

Danzō in turn, did not budge at all, though, his lips turned slightly upwards for a moment.

"Right, right. The defenses." The Daimyō turned Sarutobi once again. "In your letters you mentioned this prodigious young shinobi that came up with it, Sabiru, right?"

"Indeed, the young man advanced in his career at the astonishingly fast rate." Not as fast as Minato, Kakashi or Itachi did, but fast nonetheless. Especially for someone who came from an orphaned civilian background.

"Then I look forward to meeting this young man in person. A young mind who cares for the well being of his country must be an exceptional person. Don't you agree, Hiruzen?"

Hiruzen simply hummed, nodding in agreement, even if he was not fully on board. Too many times prodigious shinobi turned rogue for whatever reason. He learned not to be too enthusiastic. While Shikaku himself deduced nothing suspicious from his new underling. So Hiruzen placed aside that worry for a while.

He had other people to warn him about potential traitors. And until now, their job was highly successful, for there was a decrease in the numbers of missing-nins that came from Konoha in the past two years.

* * *

**At the Naka bridge**

"You're late." Sasuke stated with a glare, as Naruto and Kosuke walked towards the middle of the bridge where he stood. "And where is Kakashi?"

"Good morning to you too, Sasuke. And yes, I'm well, thanks for asking." Naruto stated, dryly. Seems that someone woke up on a wrong foot this morning. "As for Kakashi-sensei... He won't be joining us today, or the next week for that matter."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow in question. It seems that Kakashi-sensei did not told him of the development for the next few days.

"The Daimyō and his court just arrived at the village. I think he'll be busy with the meetings and all that." From what Kosuke previously told him, the Daimyō's visits were a rarity in the village, outside of the final rounds of the Chūnin Exams. And whenever he visited Konoha outside of those, it was due to the talks of the security of the Land of Fire. And Kakashi-sensei being one of the higher-ranking shinobis of the village, as well as a member of the clan, even if it was reduced to only him, was expected to be present at those meetings.

Sasuke nodded, proceeding to ask the following. "And who is this?" He nodded his head towards Kosuke.

"This is our new teammate, Maruboshi Kosuke."

"A pleasure meeting you, Sasuke-san."

As soon as Naruto introduced him, Sasuke narrowed his eyes in his usual unhappy manner. Naruto sighed. "Sasuke, besides being our new teammate, uncle Kosuke was also my caretaker when I was younger. And even without that, he is one of the most respected shinobi's in the village."

"If that's true, then why is he still a Genin?" Sasuke asked back with a tone of disappointment.

Naruto went to answer, but Kosuke cut him off, wearing his usual kind smile in face. "Being a shinobi is more than wearing a high rank next to your name in a Bingo Book, Sasuke-san. That is what your clansmen, and my old friend Kagami, would often say to me."

"You knew the Uchiha's?" Sasuke's eyes bulged for a moment as he asked that. Naruto moved a feet away towards the railing of the bridge, as to not be in the middle of this conversation. Sasuke acted as weird as he could get this morning.

"Indeed I did. We were both students of Naruto-kun's ancestor, Senju Tobirama."

Sasuke said nothing else, but giving a small nod and deciding to change a subject. "So what are we to do for the next week, while Kakashi is busy?"

"Train, what else?" Naruto shrugged it off. "We are to participate in the Chūnin Exams that will be held here, and uncle Kosuke can help us improve in the meantime."

Sasuke placed his hands into his pockets and gave his usual grunt in affirmation. "Hn." And they went to the Training Ground 7 to train.

* * *

**Training Ground 7**

For the duration of their training, Naruto told Kosuke to spend more time with Sasuke, improving his skills in whatever field that was necessary. Naruto was training with his clones in the meantime.

Attempting to combine wind and water wasn't that hard when using clones. The entire time water would strengthen the vortex, but would eventually disperse the wind itself, as it was too strong for a simple, yet a bit materialized air to hold together.

He decided to move to another aspect of his training, _space-time ninjutsu_. For the past few months, he focused more on developing different seals, so as to increase his overall Fūinjutsu abilities. And in general – it worked. But space-time ninjutsu, or the Flying Thunder God of his father and great-grandfather was tied tightly to it.

Yet for the world of it, he couldn't understand the mechanism of it. Neither his father, nor great-grandfather left _any_ specific formulas to make one. Only that one could make their own formula. He heard that his father taught three shinobi of Konoha how to do a lesser version of the technique, but _that_ version of the Flying Thunder God was more of a regular space-time technique that was used for simple teleportation. Not for fighting a war, and decimating enemy armies.

He continued writing various seals on the papers in front of him. Most of the seals he picked from various books that he had in his possession. Some belonged to his father and were very helpful in enlarging his repertoire of Fūinjutsu. But being the original in something, and leaving something to the village arsenal was always a welcome sight in Konoha. And for one's legacy as well.

Hence why, Naruto wanted to create his own seals. He did not lack the ideas of developing new seals. But bringing the realization to fruition was another thing.

At the moment he wanted to develop a sleep-inducing seal, one that worked without poison. A seal similar to the _Temple of Nirvana Technique_. Where a victim would not notice anything strange happening to them once the seal was placed on their forehead. And a seal that would leave no trace of foreign presence within their bodies.

If only he could salvage more from Uzushio, but apart from the mask, that he was yet to figure out the purpose, there wasn't much.

Naruto was lost in thought that for a moment he would have missed Kosuke and Sasuke approaching him. Lifting his head up, Naruto addressed them.

"Judging from the looks of you, I assume your opinion of uncle Kosuke has changed?" He said to Sasuke, smiling.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted in affirmation, a content look on his face, wiping the sweat from his forehead that fell down his face. "I did not expect him to be this strong, I admit." He took his bento with food, that laid by the nearby tree, returning to where Naruto and Kosuke sat under the sky. The weather was much different than it was this morning. With the sun hidden by the grey clouds, shadowing the training ground.

"How strong opponents do you expect at the Chūnin Exams?" Sasuke asked him, as he ate from his bento.

Naruto laid freely to the ground, placing his hands on the back of his head as he stared at the clouds. Himself taking a pause from training. "Depends on the village, I guess."

"The others will send their best." Sasuke stated.

"That they will..." Naruto said, he turned his head towards Kosuke who sat and ate silently. "Uncle, what do you think? I never watched the Chūnin Exams when they were held in Konoha." Less to make someone from the outside see him back then and make an unwanted connection.

Kosuke digested his food before responding back. "Usually, Taki, Ame, Kusa participate in the exams Konoha is hosting. Tough, with our alliance with Sunagakure, they send their shinobi as well. Sometimes. Some other minor villages send their Chūnin-hopefuls to participate, but it depends on their candidates as well as leaders and our relationship. Like Tsukigakure in the former case. And before our enmity, the Genins of the Land of Woods would participate as well."

"I suppose we are to be wary of Suna-nins then? With them being one of the Great Five, they are most likely to be the biggest threat?" Sasuke asked, while Naruto listened and contemplated his words. Even if they became allies from former enemies, no Konoha shinobi should expect to get all lovely-dovely with their western rival-turned ally.

"Yes, but you should not discard those from the minor nations either, Sasuke-san." Kosuke said, before continuing. "This year, Kumogakure will send their own shinobi, as well."

This information surprised Sasuke, but not Naruto. He knew that already. But Sasuke's look of surprise quickly morphed into a satisfied smirk.

"Getting excited for the opportunity to copy techniques from the Lighting affinity-based village?" Naruto asked, seeing his reaction.

"Getting back to them in kind, I'd rather say." Sasuke responded back, looking at the ground as he ate, his satisfied smile still in place. "Won't it be against the rules if we have an experienced shinobi on our team?"

"You mean uncle Kosuke?" Naruto questioned. "Well, in truth, it won't. As there is no such a rule that prevents the shinobi of a certain age to participate, as long as they are officially ranked as Genin, of course. And despite everything, uncle Kosuke is known as the _Eternal Genin_ to the other nations."

"Indeed." Confirmed Kosuke with a nod. "Tobirama-sama created the Chūnin-exams in the first place to assert the power of the other villages among many different reasons. Judging their new generations is a good way to measure the strength of the others."

_And to eliminate the potential threats as well_. Naruto added in his thoughts.

"Then it won't stop them either from infiltrating some of their own stronger shinobi to the exams." Sasuke stated with narrowed eyes.

"He-he. True. They could do that. But it doesn't happen very often." Kosuke began explaining. "First, it wouldn't be hard to find it out. In my case, those who know of me – know that I'm also a Genin. Second of all, if it ever happens, the purpose of the exams is the advancement of a certain Genin or Genins to a final round. But also for the various clients and nobility to be entertained, as well as to show them the strength of the shinobi they could hire for whatever reason they need to. Placing a higher-ranked shinobi into the exams can't be hidden forever. It would cause a village to lose a face in that case. The Bloody Mist did that few times in the past, but their reputation was already at it's lowest. Making it all meaningless in a larger scale of things." Kosuke explained to Sasuke.

Naruto stretched his muscles as he rose up to stand. "You can test yourself against the other contestants when the time comes, Sasuke. For now, I'd like to spar with uncle Kosuke. I haven't done that in months." He said with a grin.

"Hn. Do as you wish." Sasuke shrugged it nonchalantly, but his mood soured right away as the haunted look appeared in his eyes. "By the way, I'll leave earlier today..."

"Is everything okay?" Naruto asked, not looking at Sasuke, but simply tightening the bandages on his arms.

There was a moment of silence before Sasuke said in a low tone, his eyes filled with various emotions as Naruto took a good look at him. Sadness, bitterness and hatred. "...Tomorrow is the day... The anniversary..."

Naruto stopped his movements in an instant, a memory returning to his head as he looked at the ground with narrowed eyes. "Right... The massacre..." He said lowly, turning his attention towards Sasuke, shooting him a look of pity. A look that Sasuke didn't pay attention to, as he was still lost his thoughts. Due to his own pride, but perhaps even general personality, Sasuke requested that the day of the massacre not be an official day of mourning in the village. Naruto understood his reason, and even supported them.

_Given the fact it is tomorrow, no wonder he was all so gloomy this morning..._

The Uchiha nodded as he stood up. "I won't be coming to train tomorrow. If you see Kakashi before I do, tell him he should first inform us he won't be there, so we don't waste our time."

Naruto's face morphed into a minor scowl from a look of pity right away. "_I will_..."

Sasuke was hard to get along with, and one always needed to be careful about what he should say around him. Still, he should not discard uncle Kosuke's help when he offered him. Seeing his surrogate uncle not bothered by his words, Naruto let the matter go. He still recalled a memory when one of their Academy's classmates said something inappropriate regarding the Uchiha's in front of Sasuke.

Ironically, there were no girls back then, as they had a class of their own. And the image of a silent boy needing their love was preserved, as no-one spoke about it ever again. But the memory of the angry Sasuke needing to be restrained from nearly killing their classmate was probably imprinted into every boy's mind back then. Not that Sasuke could beat him, but provocating on that ground was unnecessary and shameful.

As Sasuke left the training ground, Naruto turned to Kosuke. "Sorry about that. Sasuke can rather be... very _unsociable,_ sometimes."

Kosuke waved it off. "Don't worry Naruto-kun, I understand his feelings very well."

"Still, he should be more considerate to others." _And respectful_.

"Everyone has their own day when they are something they are not, Sasuke-san has his own in turn." Kosuke said, continuing. "But now I'd like to see how your kenjutsu training has been going." As soon as he said that, Naruto unleashed the Nidaime's Sword of the Thunder God, deflecting Kosuke's attack.

"Careful not to get too dependent on that sword. Any blade can be broken if you know how to do it." Kosuke said, smiling, slipping his sword down and going for another slash, one that Naruto deflected again.

"Oh, don't worry about that. The only reason I'm using it is because my ninjatō was left home." Naruto said, smirking. "But don't worry, I won't be using any of its abilities, so just imagine it's a regular sword, like yours."

"I doubt that's possible. Whenever I see you with it, it's like I'm looking at the past." Kosuke said with a nostalgic smile.

Naruto returned the smile, but said nothing in turn. He was proud of the fact that he was compared to his ancestor. The only thing he wanted was to one day reach the level of experience and the abilities Tobirama had.

They continued with a sword-to-sword fight for a time. Despite not having a suitable partner to spar for the past few months, Naruto did keep up with his training. His clones were helpful as always.

They went up to spar for another half hour or so, when a hawk was noticed circling in the sky above them.

"It seems I'm summoned for by Hiruzen, Naruto-kun. We will continue our training tomorrow." Kosuke said.

"Sure thing, I'll train a bit more before going home."

"Just make sure you don't overdo it." Kosuke said with a smile and then left.

Training on one of the training grounds was lacking on this occasion. Deciding to train with his affinities a bit more, Naruto went towards the secluded river pathway with a canyon to the north-east of his position.

* * *

The canyon of the Naka River in Konoha was a rather secluded place, located in the eastern side of the village. The north-eastern side to be more precise.

As soon as he got there, he took a look at the river torrent below him.

_This won't do._ He thought as he looked down. The river's passage was too small for it to be of any use. Originally, he considered using the Wind element to create something from the water, but the more he looked below, the solution for another problem of his arose within his mind.

The river flew fast towards its destination. And a single point in the torrent could not be traced with a clear eye of the civilians – unlike the way shinobi could. As soon as the person would lay an eye on one point, in a matter of micro-seconds, it would disappear to whatever way it went.

_The start and the destination._

"Heh." Naruto exclaimed with a smile as the idea came to his mind. For too long he contemplated the real idea behind the Flying Thunder God, but all it took was observing the flow of nature.

Still, he decided to train with his affinities a bit more. The Flying Thunder God would come later.

He jumped down on a rock in the middle of the river.

He spent the next few hours practicing various techniques, having a short pause after each one. The river was fast, but he did eventually manage to take the surrounding water with his Wind chakra into a minor vortex. However, he did not feel any different, and the vortex itself wasn't particularly strong, in addition to being a waste of time trying to make one on a river. In the end, Naruto decided to move from those notions and continue practicing his

Focusing on the surrounding water that flew down, Naruto went through the few hand signs, exclaiming the technique once everything was in its place. "Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!"

The massive vortex of water broke through the river's flow, rising up and being sent towards the opposite direction to where it came from.

For a mere moment before the river's torrent returned to its place, Naruto caught a glimpse of a sealing paper that was placed on the rock below him.

_Hmm. _Naruto mused inwardly, moving his hand into the water that filled the previously empty space to pluck the seal from the rock.

"Soul–Body Separation Technique." Naruto said as he looked at the paper in his hand, immediately recognizing it. But as he looked at the paper, he saw that it was damaged beyond any use or _repair_. The lower part of it was shredded for a bit, but the upper half remained visible.

_Kisuke. _Someone sealed this Kisuke's soul away. Naruto did not know the man, but he realized the implication of this right away.

The man was as good as dead, for his soul would remain trapped in this piece of damaged paper.

"Damn it!" He muttered, before placing his index finger on top of the rock as he knelt – proceeding to extend his senses on the surrounding areas.

_Nothing. _He did not sense anyone in the nearby radius. Not a single trace of any faint chakra, except for the various other chakra signatures, which didn't add much to his clues.

Kisuke's body was already dead, most likely. Or it sunken somewhere within the village and someone found him. _Hopefully._

Naruto decided to go to the village and consider his option along the way. He opted for not involving Sasuke or uncle Kosuke into this. There was no need to do it.

As he reached one tower of the village, he considered his options on what to do

His first option was to go to the old man and report this. But knowing he was probably at the meeting with the Daimyō, it wouldn't be of any use. The archives would be pointless, as he did not know how the man looked like in the first place.

Naruto looked around the village. It was nearing the evening, many people were walking through the streets. But among them, he saw a familiar head. One that he hadn't spoken to in a long time.

_She could help._

* * *

Sakura walked towards the hospital through the bustling streets of the village. She forgot one of the books at her training room when she went home for the day. Shaking her head at such lack of diligence at the same time, along the way.

Her training was going well. The seniors at the hospital were very polite and helpful. And she was hoping to become just like them. She saw the look of content and happiness whenever they would help a patient, but also a look of gratefulness from the patients as well.

The week has already passed since she began her initial training. And two weeks since the Wave mission. The unpleasant memories of that incident did not fade, but it did strengthen her resolve.

For the first few days after her former team returned to the village, Sakura did not dare to leave her room – opting to stay in her bed and let her tears dry. Her mother got restless with her behavior and demanded an explanation, one that she eventually got, but a pretty lacking report. As Sakura had to omit many of the things that happened during the mission.

However, explaining everything to her mother, helped her in making a decision on where should her life go on. Her mother was supportive. Ecstatic better said, on the notion that her daughter could become a medic-nin. Apparently, it was a more noble calling for someone like her.

As she walked towards her destination, her thoughts drifted to her former team. She hadn't seen either Naruto or Sasuke since she day she left the Hokage's Tower. She met Kakashi-sensei when he accompanied her to the hospital, intending to introduce her to the staff there. Or he just wanted an excuse to talk with the nurses there? She quickly shook her head, dispelling those thoughts.

Ino has pestered her for a whole afternoon the day after she started her training at the hospital. Asking her various questions on why did she decided to quit the regular shinobi duties in the first place. Sakura did not say everything to her. A blabbermouth that she was, Ino would most likely spread the gossip around the village. And that snake Ami would most likely gloat in satisfaction at Sakura's 'fall from grace' as Ino eloquently called it.

_Fall from Sasuke's grace._

Sakura did not consider it as one. As she was never in his grace in the first place. A failed mission to the Wave certainly helped shape a new worldview for her. And that included a previous reassessment of the last Uchiha. She wasn't sure if she was ever truly in love with him. Whatever her previous feelings were, she was not sure if she held them any longer.

As she thought about it again, Sakura came to realize how shallow she acted around him sometimes. _No wonder he couldn't stand the sight of me. _

And lastly, her thoughts drifted to her last teammate, one that gave reasons for her fears of shinobi life, and for her tears the days following the return to the village. She did not hate Naruto, but after witnessing the power and hatred of his tenant in the Wave, she was not sure if she would ever forget the feeling from back then.

The sheer amount of chakra he emanated was nothing but exceptional. But it was not something which presence she wanted to feel ever again.

"Sakura." Sakura heard the voice speaking behind her. She promptly turned around to see her former teammate, _Naruto_, standing behind her.

She already walked into the street which led towards the hospital. And as it wasn't in the center of the village, there weren't many heads walking around to notice them.

"Naruto?" She spoke in a whisper, her eyes widened. She quickly reminded herself that the fox and Naruto were two different things. No beings. Naruto is a human being, just like she is.

"I can't say we haven't seen each other in a long time, but it's good to see you again." He said with a thin smile on his face.

"Uhm. I'm in a bit of a hurry, Naruto, we can speak some other time, if that's okay with you?" Sakura hastily said, shakenly, turning around and proceeding to walk faster. Or so she wanted. Naruto quickly grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"It's not okay, actually. I need your help right now." Naruto said to her with a serious expression, quickly replacing the smiling one from a moment ago.

Sakura tensed for a moment, but reluctantly nodded in agreement. "What do you need help with?"

And so Naruto began explaining to her why he needed her.

* * *

**The Konoha's hospital**

"This way." Sakura said as she led him through the halls of the hospital, not turning her face to him for a second.

He stopped her again, just like back on the streets. "Sakura." He began. "I can understand your fear." Naruto said. "Somewhat." He added when he saw she would not turn around. She still did not turn around. "And I don't blame you for it." _It's not like I have a reason to. _"But I assure you I have a fox _under control._"

**"_You wish!_" **The Kyūbi snarled within his mind, but Naruto ignored it.

"And I won't repeat the same thing like what happened in the Wave. I promise."

"I understand." Sakura slowly nodded, turning back to him, but the fear and tense look in her eyes did not disappear. Naruto was thankful that she was willing to give him a chance. "By the way, why did you come up to me? Wouldn't it be better if you went to Kakashi-sensei, or even the Hokage-sama in the first place?" She asked as they continued their walk towards the room.

"The old man is currently with the Feudal Lord, I think. Kakashi-sensei is the same for that matter." Naruto said to her as they continued their walk. "You're the first person I know that I met on the streets, and I had a feeling I shouldn't waste any time."

Sakura said nothing as they walked further down the hallway. And they soon arrived at their destination. A moment before that, Sakura told him how they found Kisuke in the first place.

"A shinobi patrol in the village found him being stuck by some branches in the river, so they brought him here." Sakura said, her previously fearful face turning to the one of confusion. "But from what some nurses said... Nothing could wake him up. The most confusing part is, not even a Yamanaka nurse could enter his mind and read his memories of what happened. It was like... there were none." Sakura looked at him as she finished her thoughts.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he added his own theory. "It's not like they could. The sealing-paper that sealed his soul took away his memories as well, along with his spiritual body."

"You said you have the paper? Maybe we could wake him up with it." Sakura said with a hopeful expression, but Naruto interjected her.

"The seal was heavily damaged. _On purpose_. Whoever did it, must have had a reason to not want this man to return to our world."

He paused for a moment.

"He probably wasn't sure what would have happen if he destroyed the formula, so he opted on just damaging it. Two negatives equals a positive after all."

"So if the suspect who used the formula in the first place simply destroyed it – he would have undone his initial work?" Sakura asked him.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Possibly. Maybe. I don't know." He admitted with an annoyed look. "I only know of this technique in the first place, but I don't know the side-notes of 'what-ifs'."

"So there is something that even you don't know of?" Sakura said, a small smile morphing on her face. "You know... I always thought you had an answer for everything."

"Well. Though luck this time." Naruto said, annoyed, getting a short laugh from Sakura.

"We're here."

_Something is not right. _Naruto thought as his senses rilled up as soon as they reached the doors to Kisuke's room in the hospital. There was another person in there. He placed his hand on Sakura's shoulder, an action which startled her for a moment.

"Naruto?" Sakura said as she turned her head around.

"Wait." Naruto simply said. The figure behind the doors opened it, revealing the young man with light blue hair and eyes. And a Jōnin's vest on himself, revealing his high rank in Konoha's hierarchy.

Despite the Academy teaching the future generations the chain of command and the respect necessary when addressing one's seniors, Naruto couldn't help himself to trust the man in front of him. His senses warned him not to trust him. And he wouldn't in any case. The man's chakra reeked of malicious intent. A look of disdain on his face said enough of him if one couldn't sense his chakra.

And Naruto knew that look all too well. A look of hate from a person who _lost_ someone from the

Kyūbi's attack on the village thirteen years ago.

That would have angered Naruto early on in his life, but he learned not to be bothered by those looks anymore. The disdainful look was the least of his concerns.

"Uhm... Wh-" Sakura began, but Naruto shushed her quickly, grabbing the hold of her shoulder with his left hand and moving her behind him. Sometimes it puzzled Naruto how innocent she could sound. Kisuke was dead, the ECG beeped a continuous line behind the unknown man, indicating that the heart of Kisuke did not beat anymore.

"What did you do to him?" Naruto asked the man, looking straight-up into his eyes. The Sword of the Thunder God was at his belt, a mere inches from his right hand, being ready to be used. But as he considered his options if it came to the fight, Naruto discarded that route. Making sure that Sakura stays alive was his current priority.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The blue-haired man said with a fake smile. "I merely visited my old friend, once I heard he got into the hospital to see if he's well. Tough, by the looks of it, he doesn't seem _too well_."

"Wait, that sound!" Sakura said behind him, finally noticing it. Naruto turned to look at her, telling her to stay silent. But as he did that, the man in front of them revealed the kunai from his sleeve, taking the hold of it, and moving to stab it into Naruto's head.

Unfortunately for him, Naruto was quick to notice his moves right away, and was ready to counter his attack.

He moved his head slightly to the right, grabbing the blue-haired man's hand with both of his own.

As soon as Naruto saw the attack was coming, he kneaded the chakra in his body, transformed it into the water, and shaped it into senbon as he grabbed the enemy's hand.

_Heavenly Weeping!_ Naruto thought inwardly as he shoot the senbon needles towards his attacker from his mouth. The traitor unfortunately quickly noticed it and simply lowered his head, deflecting the senbons with his forehead protector. The sounds of senbons clashing with the steel filled the air, after which they fell to the ground.

Naruto let go of the rogue-nin's arm, jumping back and picking Sakura up, proceeding to jump the right side of the hallway again.

The whole affair happened in mere seconds, leaving Sakura perplexed.

"Wh-why did he attacked us!? Naruto?" She asked, both confused and afraid.

Naruto did not manage to answer her as four kunai's were sent flying to their direction. Quickly moving through the hand signs, Naruto exclaimed:

_Wind Release: Gale Palm!_

The kunai's, which were lighted with the explosive tags, returned to the attacker, exploding a moment before they reached him back. The walls and roof around the enemy crumbled, and the light in the entire hallway disappeared. The air was filled with smoke from the explosive, as well as from the dust of the levered walls and the roof.

"Khm. Khm. Khm." Sakura coughed as Naruto held her in his arms.

"Are you okay, Sakura?"

"I... I think so... Naruto. Why did he attack us?" She asked once she took a hold of herself.

"Because he's a traitor. That's why." He bluntly answered her. He sensed the man rising from the smoke at that moment. "And he's about to do it again!" Naruto quickly said, making two shadow clones in an instant. The two shadow clones grabbed Sakura and went back to the center of the hospital without a uttering a word.

"He-Hey!" Sakura squealed as they took her. But they disappeared from his sight soon after.

Naruto in the meantime unleashed his ancestor's sword and slashed at his attacker. It was not to be. However. As the enemy quickly used the replacement with the nearby fire extinguisher. Naruto in the end cut through the fire extinguisher with the Sword of the Thunder God, releasing the sodium bicarbonate in the air.

In a matter of seconds, Naruto turned off the Nidaime's sword, grabbing it with his teeth, and then going through the few hand signs.

_Swift Wind Wall!_

A wall of wind surrounded him, pushing back both the previous smoke from the explosion, and now the substance from the fire extinguisher.

As the wall of wind protected him for ten seconds or so, Naruto sensed his attacker fleeing the scene, probably towards the mountains behind the Hokage's Rock. It was the easiest way to escape the village, even if one would need to bypass any patrols there, and in the surrounding countryside.

Dispersing the wall of wind around him, Naruto received the memories of one of the two clones who escorted Sakura, at the same time. She was safe, and the other clone was explaining the situation to the medics at the main hall. A large commotion arose with the explosion and more people would come here soon. But at least there wouldn't be more victims.

Naruto jumped through the open roof and went to chase after the enemy. The sun was already setting, and if he wasn't fast, the traitor would flee the village. _Unpunished_.

He made another clone, and jumped towards the direction when he went, intending to capture him alive.

* * *

_Vengeance. _

That was all that Sabiru thought about. Vengeance for his dead parents and siblings that went unpunished. The Kyūbi incarnate walked free, while his parents lay dead. On top of all of that, the _kind_ old Hokage himself always loved parading that demon brat around the village. Showcasing _him_ as a victim, and not those who suffered from the attack of that stupid fox.

It all boiled down as time went on. The brat graduated from the Academy with the highest score. Rivaled only by the Yondaime Hokage and Uchiha Itachi. It made Sabiru angry. Angry with a cry of vengeance, and angry with jealousy.

He was an orphan as well. Everyone he loved died from the attack thirteen years ago. But no one paid any attention to his accomplishments. Everyone praised the demon brat, and how he will bring glory to Konoha one day.

And maybe even become a Hokage in his own right.

It made Sabiru angry how some of his so-called friends could so easily forget what the demon actually was. Forget about everything.

In the end, it made Sabiru forget about the loyalty to Konoha. Wishing upon its destruction for their idiocy.

He was always courteous to give a polite smile whenever the talk about the Kyūbi brat was in place. Less to make someone suspicious of him.

But it was all in vain. For one of Orochimaru's lackeys noticed him, and offered him a deal. A deal he _couldn't_. And _shouldn't_ refuse. Kabuto did not know of his real goals. Only that he is an ambitious young man who thinks that the ideology of peaceful coexistence that Konoha preached was worthless and stupid.

Or perhaps he _knew_, but did not care, as long as he did his task. Perhaps it was because Kabuto did not fully trust him. He never mentioned the purpose of changing the parameters of Konoha's northern border patrols, or location of Orochimaru. But it wasn't too hard to figure it all out.

_I might need to call for aid from Kabuto if it gets too hard. _Prodigy or not. Naruto was very strong for him to handle all alone. Maybe if he killed him and released the Kyūbi, he could destroy Konoha without any interference from Orochimaru? The possibilities were endless.

He stopped running once he arrived to the nearby forest behind the village. "This should be enough." He noticed Naruto coming out of the hospital's roof from the distance few moments ago, and would most likely follow him until he captured.

_Don't get too cocky!_

"The mission is compromised." He said to himself once he placed the final sealing tag at its place. Once he got rid off the Kyūbi brat, the pink-haired bitch would be next. _Would have to be next!_ If she did not already blabbered him to the others.

And the moment after, Naruto appeared not far from his position.

"Took you long enough. It seems that the others were wrong about your prowess." Sabiru said smirking, looking straight at Naruto, who stood on one branch of a tree not far from him. But too far from a trap he made. _I just need him to come a little closer._

Naruto on the other hand had a mask of indifference on his face. Like he did not consider him worthy of anything else.

"Why did you kill Kisuke?" Naruto asked out of blue.

"Because I could. That's why!" Sabiru answered, with a smirk still on his face. The answer did not get any sort of reaction from Naruto, so Sabiru decided to poke him more. "Did you knew him, by any chance?"

But no answer came, and that annoyed Sabiru who scowled.

"You always carry yourself as if the others don't matter at all. Don't you?" The others did not matter. And Sabiru did not care for that. He stopped caring long time ago. "I guess that could be expected from a harborer of the Kyūbi? Am I right?"

And that got the attention from the brat. Naruto jumped forward to land near his position, but the midway through, Sabiru jumped back, going through the few hand signs.

"Sealed Binding Formation!"

The sealing tags on the trees lighted and activated, stopping Naruto in his movements the moment he jumped to the ground where he previously stood.

Sabiru landed on the closest tree.

"I admit I expected more from the newest Konoha's prodigy." Sabiru said as he looked down at Naruto who was snarling in anger as he couldn't move. "But I guess it doesn't matter in the end, doesn't it? As soon as I finish you, your pink-haired friend will be next."

He jumped down from the tree and started walking slowly towards Naruto who still couldn't move due to the restraints from his sealing tags.

"Well then. The time for vengeance has come I suppose." Sabiru said plainly as he walked closer. He drew another kunai from his pouch and went to slice Naruto's head off, but the moment before he approached a smirk morphed on Naruto's face.

"It has." That caught Sabiru by surprise, but he widened his eyes as he sensed the chakra rilling up in Naruto, nearly enveloping him in an explosion. One that he managed to evade in the last second, but not without suffering slight wounds on his body.

_A wind slash_. He moved both of his hands on whatever wound he could, just to stop the bleeding.

"But not for me." Siad Naruto, who appeared unscathed on the ground not far from him.

"I see..." Sabiru said, growling as he rose up. "You used a wind element in conjunction with the Great Clone Explosion to trick me."

"Bingo." Naruto was smiling mockingly at him.

_Wretched bastard_. Sabiru thought as he stood at his battle position. "Killing those Academy students a few years ago must have given you some ideas?"

A few moments ago, when he compared him with the Kyūbi, at least he got an angry and impulsive reaction. Now. However, all he got was a cheeky smirk and a satisfied remark. "Plenty of them."

That confidence annoyed him to no end.

"You're wrong if you think I'll lose so easily. I wasn't made a Jōnin for nothing." He said in a brave tone, but the belief in his own bravery was slowly fading, just like the blood from his wounds.

"Oh. I wasn't hoping either." Naruto said as he stood in his one pose. Still with a smile on his face. One that Sabiru did not know of. "I don't know what beef you had with Kisuke. But whatever it was you'll answer for killing him."

"Then bring it on demon brat." Sabiru said, but he did not wait for Naruto to attack, for he did it himself first.

* * *

It wasn't too hard to follow the traitor of Konoha. Naruto's sensory ability could sense far and wide. And once he noticed that his target stopped moving in the forest, Naruto could easily deduce he was making a trap.

For that reason, he made another shadow clone to gouge out his opponent's abilities first. As soon as the clone arrived at the forest he easily noticed the hidden sealing tags on few trees. With nothing to lose, he engaged him in combat, dispelling with the clone explosion technique, combined with the wind element. Similar to when he used it on the playground at the age of six, that even his victim noticed – trying to poke a reaction of displeasure, or even impulsiveness that would give him leverage in the following fight. But he would be damned if he allowed it.

"Then bring it on demon brat." The enemy said, ending their short conversation – leaping forward to attack him, ignoring his own words.

The skirmish was a bit different than the one at the hospital. Naruto could see that the man was badly injured, having a few visible wounds on his body. As the fight continued, the enemy was getting tired more and more.

At one point he jumped backward, going through the few hand signs along the way.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" He exclaimed, sending a moderate-sized ball of fire towards Naruto.

Naruto in turn did not waste any time. Going through his own hand signs, he molded the chakra in his body, spitting the stream of water from his mouth in the end.

_Water Release: Water Formation Wall! _

That put to stop the fire attack, but just as he stopped the elemental attack – Naruto sensed the thinnest bits of foreign chakra trying to invade his body.

Flaring his own chakra in turn, Naruto stopped the genjutsu from taking over him, even if he doubted that any sort of lower-level illusion would have a use against him.

And at that moment, his opponent emerged from the smoke that evaporated the air in front of him, with a kunai in his hand – intending to stab Naruto straight into his eyes. Yet, as the wounds still held firm on his body, it was easy for Naruto to evade the attack by simply moving his head leftwards.

The moment he did that, he grabbed the attackers hand and sent a kick with his knee to his abdomen.

The blue-haired traitor whimpered in pain as he struggled to get the air to his body. The strike was so strong that he did not bother holding his stomach with his arms as the natural senses left his body along with the air.

"Aghh..." He continued breathing erratically, falling on his knees, his eyes widened as the realization of what happened, came up to him. "I will...I will..." He repeated, moving his right hand to grab a kunai that was laying on the ground beside him.

Naruto kicked kunai away, flying before looking down at his beaten opponent. "Don't even think about it. Accept your punishment like a man." The old man coming. Naruto could sense it, along with a squadron of his shinobi. The ANBU's and Kakashi-sensei. The clone that warned the old man of what happened has dispelled the moment the clone that engaged the traitor was dispelled.

The information from him returned to Naruto, and he did not fight the smile from appearing on his face from the memory of the bedazzled Daimyō and his court.

"Sabiru!" The old man said as he appeared with his men behind Naruto. Naruto turned around and could see that his face was stern and angry. And the air around them got heavy. Naruto never felt this presence of the Sandaime before. Not even during their spar a few months back. But now he understood why he got his reputation.

"Sa-Sandaime?" The man, apparently named Sabiru whispered in fear.

"What is the meaning of this? Explain!" Short and simple.

But Sabiru could not say anything, he was too afraid to speak. His eyes were constantly wavering in fear. He knew the end was near. Peaceful and sometimes tolerant Konoha could be, but it did not mean they wouldn't execute the traitor when one appeared or the opportunity arrived. Or that they could gift them as a plaything to the Torture and Interrogation Division.

"The demon brat attacked me in the hospital Hokage-sama! He pursued me all the way here..." Sabiru said at the fast rate, as Naruto snorted at his foolish words. His lies were interrupted by the Hokage.

"You really expect me to believe that? Come on. Shikaku would not place you into his division if you would use such a lame excuse." The old man almost sounded bored. "Now... Why did you murder Maboroshi Kisuke, after attempting to kill him once before?"

Apparently, Sabiru did not deign to answer that, as his breathing stabilized. He gulped once, as he looked at Sarutobi in the eyes. Naruto could see his eyes moving wildly in one place, whilst looking at the old man. It was like he lost a touch with reality.

"You know... I think that is a really _good_ question, Sandaime-sama." Sabiru spoke with a sly smile on his face. He moved the fingers of his right hand to his right arm, whipping a trace of blood that was there. Naruto kept silent once the old man came, stepping aside, and letting his ANBU surround the traitor.

The old man sighed. "You can act like a fool as much as you want, though, I doubt Ibiki will be kind to you if you continue doing it. Take him away."

"Yes, sir." The two ANBU's grabbed him and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Followed by another two ANBU to be there just in case.

Only Naruto, Kakashi, the Hokage, and another two ANBU's remained there in the clearing.

The old man was still having a stern look on his face, and Naruto had a hard time deducing what he was actually thinking. After a moment, he took a good look at the surroundings where the battle between Naruto and Sabiru was fought, and he cracked a small smile in his direction. "Good job, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled at the praise, as Kakashi-sensei also placed a hand on his shoulders gifting him one of his eye smiles. "Well done."

"Eh. Thanks." Naruto said, contently. "By the way, I'm sorry I had to break your banquet with the Daimyō and his court. Though it did not look like either of you enjoyed it that much."

"Heh. I think only Hiashi and the other Hyūga's did." Sarutobi said with a smile. "Sorry I had to summon Kosuke away from your training today. The Daimyō wanted to meet with him as well. He's an avid fan of the older generations."

"Sounds like a tedious business. You really have to entertain the Feudal Lord's court, don't you?" Naruto asked as he took down his headband, wiping out the sweat that concentrated on his head. A long shower was something he avidly missed now. As well as a long and peaceful sleep.

"A small token of our gratitude to them. The Capital did not need to support us financially, or with food during the past wars, but they did anyway. No reason to break that bond now. As you don't know when the next war will emerge. You should never forget that, Naruto-kun."

Naruto nodded.

"Now." Sarutobi began again as he came close to him. Expecting a pat on his head, he was caught by surprise as Sarutobi pulled his left ear, holding it as he spoke. "I hope in the future, this reminds you to come to me first if you ever discover a spy. We were lucky this time, but if the other villages ever infiltrate one of their own, they will do it with someone much stronger than Sabiru."

"I understand." Naruto said quietly.

"But good job, nonetheless." Sarutobi said as he let go of his ear, giving a small smile in return.

He simply smiled again at the praise. "I should be going home now. Sensei, I think someone should check on Sakura to see if she's okay. She wasn't hurt or anything, but it's better if someone explains everything to her."

"I'll be sure to do it." Kakashi said, who watched the entire affair in silence. "By the way... How did Sasuke reacted to our new teammate? I forgot to tell him yesterday." Naruto looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Or this morning..."

"I think he was content. Though, he was wroth with you for not tell him beforehand."

Kakashi sighed. "I'll make amends some other time."

Naruto waved it off. "I'll see you some other time sensei. Old man." He gave both of them a short nod before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

**The Senju clan compound, 11:50 PM**

A sealing tag warned him that someone channeled chakra to the outer walls of the main residence, and Naruto walked towards them to see who it was. He decided against simply sensing who it was, more so because he was genuinely curious at seeing a rare visitor to his home. And in a rare childish moment of his, he wanted to be surprised. In any case. Whoever it was – he knew who lived here

Rubbing a towel over his head, drying his hair after a shower, Naruto walked slowly, thinking about everything that happened as soon as he arrived back at the village. A day since he arrived, and the following, he discovered a traitor to Konoha. It made him think about the reason why Sabiru would try and betray the village.

"_Well then. The time for vengeance has come I suppose._" Those were the Sabiru's words during the fight. Naruto shook his head and sighed as he walked further towards the residence's gate. The guy must have lost someone during the attack, and seeing Naruto walk through the village without anyone's care in his mind must have made him resentful towards his own home. _I should talk with the old man regarding that_.

Many people had lost their loved ones back then, but outright vengeful attack has never happened. Granted, Sabiru never attacked him on the streets directly, but the basis of that hatred gave birth to something more sinister. Something that in the end ruined the man's life.

Naruto wondered if there were others whose lives were destroyed because they allowed their hatred of him to overwhelm their common sense.

Soon after he reached the gate. Opening it, he saw Sakura standing there, looking around at the buildings night-covered buildings.

"Sakura?" Naruto asked, getting her to turn around and greet him with a smile. "What are you doing here this late?"

"I...I wanted to say thanks. For saving me today." Naruto waved it off.

"I got you into that trouble in the first place. No need to thank me." He answered with a shy smile.

Sakura shook her head. "It doesn't matter. You still saved me, so thank you."

The silence stretched, and the only sound that could be heard were those of the owls, but the sounds of the people in the distance could also be heard.

"Uhm... Would you like to enter, perhaps? I can make us some tea if you'd like?"

"Sure." She said, still smiling.

As they walked towards the building. "We'll have to sit outside. The house is protected with seals preventing those not of my clan from entering inside."

"I see..." She said, seemingly understanding what she meant.

"How did you know I live here, anyway?" He never mentioned that to her. For all she knew, he could live anywhere else in the village.

"Kakashi-sensei checked on me about an hour ago. He also told me where you lived once I asked him."

"So I assume this little visit has a bigger meaning?" Naruto asked as they reached the stairs towards the engawa.

"Well... I wanted to say my thanks first, but also to apologize..." Sakura said, her eyes looking down, as if in shame.

Naruto looked at her thoughtfully before speaking the following:

"Wait there, I'll be back in five minutes."

When he returned with the tea, he saw Sakura sitting down near the edge of engawa, looking towards the stars.

"Here." Naruto said as he offered her own cup of tea.

"Thanks."

"So..." Naruto began. "I'm not sure about what you're apologizing. I don't think you've ever wronged me in any way." He knew the reason why she came, it was clear as day, but for the sake of lifting the awkward mood, he went along it, by pretending to be 'clueless'.

Sakura looked at him with narrowed eyes, feeling insulted at his words. Naruto allowed a small smile to grace his face seeing her reaction.

"I'm not stupid, Naruto. And neither are you for that matter." She took one gulp from the cup before continuing. "I'm sorry with the way I reacted when I found out about the Kyūbi and you... you know, with the way I was afraid around you today when you came to me..."

Naruto remained silent, allowing Sakura to continue, but she did not. She just continued looking distantly not knowing what to say else. Again, Naruto decided to break the silence.

"Sakura, listen. I'm not angry with you or anything. To be honest, I expected that reaction from you, and with the way you learned of it, I thought you would cut all ties with me no matter what."

"It's not like I didn't try..." She said with a bitter smile.

"In any case, I was hated by many villagers, some outright showed their disdain, even before... well you know what I'm talking about."

She nodded, seemingly getting what he was saying.

"So if the others reacted with the way you do, I'd be much happier." Naruto confessed.

"You want for people to be afraid of you?" She asked, disbelievingly.

"It's better than having them giving you those _ugly looks_." Naruto said sarcastically. She got the wrong message. "There are benefits of having others afraid of you. But as I said, better that, than being the receiving one at the end of the stick."

She nodded in understanding. "I wonder how'll they react once they found out you're the Yondaime's son. Do you think you'll have some fangirls of your own?"

"Who knows?" Naruto said as he leaned to the wall, shrugging his shoulders. "I may already have them in Kumo and Iwa."

"Huh?" Sakura asked, confused. And Naruto proceeded to explain to her how he already got to the Bingo Book.

"So early..." She said in a quiet tone.

"Lucky me." He smiled.

"Are you afraid perhaps?"

"To be honest with you, no. I'm not afraid. Though, there is a certain sense of thrill at knowing other villages are having their eyes on you..." He suspected that his 'alliance' with the Kyūbi might have a subtle influence on the making of his inner peace. But Sakura did not need to know that.

Sakura decided to change the subject. "Weren't you ever bother of living here by yourself?" She asked as she looked at the compound in front of them that was basically empty.

"Sometimes..." Naruto muttered. "But I wasn't always alone, as I had few people who took care of me. I will, however, need to restock this place one day. Just like Sasuke will need his own." Sakura's cheeks turned into a shade of red for a brief moment at hearing his comment.

"Speaking of Sasuke..." Naruto noticed that she dropped the usual honorific she had for the last loyal Uchiha. "How did he react to everything about you?"

Naruto shrugged. "You know him. Mostly aloof, and not caring about it. Though he was a bit curious at one point. Why?"

She looked away from him then. "No particular reason."

Naruto raised his eyebrow at her response. "You don't like him anymore, do you?"

She sat there silently, not answering, so Naruto decided to poke her a bit. "Sakura, I'm afraid I don't see you that way either."

That got an angry response from her. One that he did not see since the days from the Academy and her bickering with Ino. "And I don't see you that way either you idiot!" Naruto simply laughed at her response, causing her to calm down a bit.

"I...I don't think I do. I'm not sure I ever did in reality. It was just a simple crush, you know." She said blushing, embarrassed about her previous behavior.

"Well... I think it's better that way. Sasuke might be my teammate, but I doubt you'd find any romantic happiness with him in a relationship."

"What do you know about romance, Naruto? From what I know you have never shown any interest to any girls in our class?"

_Neither did Sasuke for that matter_. Naruto thought. "It's not like any of you fit my criteria for a Senju matriarch."

"And what is this criteria you speak of?" Sakura asked, a bit annoyed and insulted.

Once again, Naruto shrugged his arms. "I have no idea."

It seems that his ominous answer annoyed her even more, but she decided to let it go before another outburst. "I should go, my parents will worry, especially if they hear about the explosion at the hospital."

Naruto stood up as well, following Sakura's action. "Don't worry. I know how to leave." She said.

He hummed in response.

"Thank you once again for saving me, Naruto. See you some other time." She said before jumping off in the distance.

Naruto watched her leave before sitting and leaning onto the walls once again. He thought about many things. About the battle with Sabiru, and how indirectly he might have had a hand in his _moral demise_ in addition to a physical one.

About how Sakura came to accept him for who he was. Something he did not think would happen any time soon. But as the old saying went on.

_Good things come to those who are good._

And lastly, as many times before, he thought about his future. With an unofficial bounty on his head, he could never know what the tomorrow morning would bring.

As he sat outside, looking at the stars above him, Naruto looked at the walls of his house. The safety of the seals around his home looked more beautiful than ever, even if they were not visible at the moment. He knew they were there. His guardians.

_My bed must be crying for my body right now... _Naruto stood up and picked up the two cups, moving into the house, and going to sleep. He would have to get up early anyway. And sleep was paramount at the moment.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

(1)In one chapter of the manga, Tobirama mentioned that he saw Sasuke's manipulation with Amaterasu before. I get it that there are various translations out there, but given the fact that Izuna also awakened Mangekyō... I'm giving him Amaterasu here for now.

(2)I get it that in the novel, from where I took it, the _Typhoon Release_ exists. But for the sake of something I'm planning to do, I'm discarding that here. The book in question is _Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise_ for those interested. I have in mind how it will be different than the standard wind, but I won't have it in use just yet. I originally intended something else to be Naruto's bloodline, but it wouldn't just work like that, and I'll leave that for the end. But whatever I planned at first will still have its own role.

This chapter had a few important purposes. One is that I wanted to formally introduce the new member of Team 7. The second was that I wanted to set in motion a change that will happen later when the time of the invasion starts. As well as to start something with one certain technique.

I don't think there is a problem if Kosuke temporarily joins the Team 7. I saw a similar case in another story long ago, though, I forgot the name of it. And there were no problems with it.

And Sabiru is still alive, but not for long. As for whether he'll reveal much or not. It will be explained later on. He worked for Orochimaru, just like in his filler episode, but here he's captured and whatever happens to him will have its consequences.

I will be using some filler character for certain stuff, as it is much better in my opinion than creating too many OC's.

As for the masks from the temples... I have some ideas in my head on how to use them. But they will be largely irrelevant for now.

And that would be it for this chapter. 16.000+ words. Thank you for reading, and I apologize for the delay, due to my exams. As I'm done with them for this year, I'm having the next few months free to focus on this fic.

~HyperboreanRealist


	9. Bitterness and Paranoia

**Chapter 9: **Bitterness and Paranoia

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, the Hokage's Rock**

The night has long fallen, but Naruto stayed on his favorite spot in the village, the stone faces of the previous, and the current Hokage. Four days have passed since his fight with Sabiru, but Naruto did not know or cared about him now.

Laying on the rough ground above it, he stared at the stars, thinking about how careless and free they were floating on the sky above him.

Free as he could not ever be. The burden of the name he carries, the blood that flows in him, the tenant he keeps locked from the world. All those things will forever haunt him. His father might have intended for the Kyūbi to be a gift, but Naruto always felt it was a curse.

The conversation he had with the old man previous day still flashed in front of his eyes, while the sentences filled his ears, over and over again. And the curse of being a Jinchūriki showed its first level.

**==Flashback==**

_He walked towards the Hokage's office within the tower. The secretary let him pass through as she most likely already knew about the invitation by the Hokage. There were many more ANBU's hidden in the shadows around the tower that day, while he saw many other shinobis he never met before. _

_Soon he reached the office and was let through to enter inside of it by the guards. Inside the office the Sandaime Hokage sat in his chair, a stern mask of his face he looked through the window towards the village. But once Naruto entered inside, Hiruzen turned towards him, and he allowed a small smile to grace his face._

_On the other side of the room stood Jiraiya, his hands crossed in a contemplative manner as he leaned onto the wall. But instead of his usual jolly face or even stern one which the old man had before he entered the room – his face was morphed into a bitter frown, with his eyes being full of regret. An unusual contrast to his every-day persona, or the one he saw just yesterday._

_"Naruto-kun." The old man greeted him kindly. "Thank you for coming in such a short notice."_

_"No problem." Naruto said in kind, proceeding to sit in the chair that stood in front of the desk, specifically reserved for the various guests that would come to the Hokage whenever such occasion occurred._

_Sarutobi was silent for a moment, allowing only the noises from the outside the office to be heard, and those within the village, but the occasional sound of breathing could be heard, as the air flared through the nostrils of both the old man and his godfather as half-sighing action took place._

_Naruto could only deduce that they either had some bad argument between themselves, or just received some unpleasant news._

_"I think you should read this first, before we jump into the further conversation." Hiruzen said, handing him a few sheets of paper to read._

_Naruto took them into his hands, but before he started reading them, the Hokage spoke once more. "Before you begin, I must inform you that the money from the Demon Brothers your team has captured during the Wave has been deposited on your account, just like it did for your other teammates."_

_Naruto slowly nodded, followed by a question. "Do these have something to do with it?" He motioned at the papers in his hand._

_"No, not at all." Hiruzen said, holding his pipe in the right hand. "That is the report from the Torture and Interrogation Unit that they had extracted from the rogue Amegakure kunoichi you had captured on your last mission. Specifically the part regarding the Akatsuki."_

_Naruto ears perked up at the last words spoken, and the excitement built up in him before he began reading it._

_Inside the papers, there was the name of the case typed at the top. _

_**'The_Akatsuki_case:_file_#14'**_

_Just the general introduction to the case, the background of the source of the information, and stuff like that. He quickly scanned through the first page and went for the second. _

_On the next page there were more information, but the picture of one of his hunters as well. For a moment Naruto wondered how they got the picture of one of the members, but he quickly realized they must have had one of the mind-readers simply transform into the target once they saw it._

_'Konan' The name was written next to the supposed name 'The Angel'. And under it, there was a picture glued on the paper itself. A picture of a blue-haired woman in the Akatsuki robes._

_His mind drifted onto the name, as if he heard it somewhere before._

_"How did you get the name?" It was obvious that the Interrogation Unit did not get it in the first place. So the source must be something else._

_As soon as he asked the question, his godfather Jiraiya spoke up, approaching him in turn, and pulling something from his pockets. His face was still full of bitterness and regret as he did so._

_"Because." He showed him a picture of himself and the three Ame orphans he took care of in the past. One of the orphans he instantly recognized as the woman in the files – Konan. "Of this." Jiraiya finished._

_Naruto took the picture into his hand and placed it below the one in the files. Various things passed through his mind, but the one that stuck by was the notion that this Konan was close to Nagato, the one with Rinnegan._

_"You said they were dead, how did that come to be?" Naruto addressed Jiraiya. Not an accusation, yet, a simple statement of facts for now._

_Jiraiya released a sigh that he looked he was containing for a long time. "I used to think so." He paused for a moment, probably thinking back of the three orphans he trained, and the **criminals** he created in the long run. "After we split our ways, I did not hear from them at all, all until the time I got the message from one of my informants near the border that they were killed. Tough, the circumstances of their death always remained unknown to me."_

_Naruto wanted to shout and rage from the inside, but he banished those thoughts as soon as they came to his mind. _

_"You should have got rid of them when you had the chance. The other two are probably members of the Akatsuki as well." He said with a scowl, but Jiraiya did not budge, opting to stare at the picture of three orphans, that was laying under the picture of the present-day Konan, in silence. As if to try and understand their actions._

_Their sentimentality will be their undoing one day._

_"Instead. The Rinnegan user is probably the leader of this Akatsuki organization, and if not, then the real leader is probably even stronger than him." It made him angry, but he did not shout. Yet. Only occasionally his voice rose above his usual tone. But for the most part, only the venom was dripping from his mouth with each word he spoke._

_Jiraiya gently took the picture and placed it into his pocket, speaking the following in a voice that considered his previous points as a simple childish remark. "Orochimaru said the same when my team met them the first time..."_

_Naruto's eyes narrowed down, but he said nothing. Though, he was not happy with being, for an even a smallest of cases compared to the traitorous Sannin._

_"Would you have done it?" Naruto looked up at his godfather who looked at him with absolute seriousness when he asked a question. "Would you kill the three orphans begging for food because you think they could be a threat to you in any way one day?"_

_Naruto did not dare to dwell on those thoughts. A picture of dismembered bodies instantly appeared in front of him, and his thoughts were defined at that moment. "I wouldn't... I would never do something like that..."_

_Jiraiya smiled sadly at him. "I know you wouldn't, but-"_

_Naruto interrupted his reply, shaking his head. "But I wouldn't dare to train outsiders without further supervision either. Why didn't you bring them to Konoha with you? It would have been much safer and productive instead of leaving them in an open world." _

_Who knows what could have been if Konoha had a Rinnegan user at the time of his birth. His parents might still be alive in that case._

_"I did not want them to become weapons of war, especially Nagato. My goal was to make them the agents of peace, so another war would never take place again." Naruto heard the old Hokage give a slight half-growl, half-sigh at Jiraiya's words. No doubt he was familiar with the Toad Sage's pacifistic ideology, but did not agree with it, as it went to the borders of fanaticism sometimes._

_"I will make it up to you for this, don't worry kid. And even if they really are the leaders of the Akatsuki, then you don't need to worry about them all that much. I know all three of them, and they won't pose that much threat to you. I can promise you that. I'm not called a Toad Sage for nothing after all." Jiraiya gave out a large grin in the end, alongside of a thumbs up pointed towards himself in a goofy manner._

_It calmed him down a bit, but not fully._

_"Yeah. I'll keep you to those words. Just don't die while you're at it." Naruto said in the end, sighing. _

_Jiraiya ruffled his hair a bit, giving him a sad smile. "Don't worry kid. I don't plan on dying any time soon."_

_He continued reading the rest of the report, but it wasn't saying much. Only that the possibility of the Akatsuki controlling the Village Hidden in the Rain was probable and that the shinobis of that village should be apprehended if one ever came to conflict with them._

_The Sandaime who was silent up until then, gave a cough to get their attention. "As much as it pains me to know that even your students could go, rogue, Jiraiya, we have other pressing matters to attend at the moment."_

_That got both Naruto's and Jiraiya's attention._

_"Huh? What're you talking about sensei? What is more important than the Akatsuki?" He asked that question with a raised eyebrow. Naruto wondered the same._

_"The case of our old acquaintance stirring trouble as he walks." When Naruto looked up at him, he saw that Jiraiya supposedly understood it right away, and went to his professional mode. _

_"Naruto-kun, that would be all for now. You may go." Sarutobi said to him._

_"See you later then." He stood up and went to the door, but before he left, Jiraiya called out to him._

_"Naruto, I promise I'll make it up to you for this."_

_"Yes, yes." Naruto waved it off, and then left. Keeping promises one wasn't sure he could keep was a dangerous thing. And Naruto doubted that his godfather could kill the three orphans he raised previously. It wasn't in his character to do so._

**==Flashback ends==**

After leaving the office, he went to the Ichiraku Ramen, and bought _seven_ bowls of ramen to eat, bringing them to the place where he was at the moment, the Hokage's Rock. Still looking at the stars as he recalled the conversation from yesterday, as the stars slowly began fading away as the new dawn was rising. The seven cups of ramen laid in a trashy manner next to him.

For the first time since Jiraiya told him about the Rinnegan user, Naruto began thinking more about him as well. From the picture he saw, at first glance, one could assume he was an Uzumaki. But there were countless more redheads around the world, making it a simple coincidence. Still... the possibility of Nagato being one should not be discarded, just as he should not be too hopeful as well. If anything, he would have preferred it if he was dead, just as Jiraiya previously thought. Family, even if distant, or not.

The Konan woman, joined the criminal organization because her loved ones were dead. There were countless examples of shinobis becoming missing-nins because of that. A traitor from a few days ago, Sabiru, was the first one to come to mind.

As more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him. Given the overall prestige, and the legendary power of the Rinnegan – for all intents and purposes, Naruto should have been caught by now.

Either Nagato really was dead, or the Rinnegan wasn't as strong as it was previously believed?

Thinking about that pathway eased his mind a bit, but a distant shadowy figure with deep purple eyes followed him when he was not looking. His inner musings were, however, soon interrupted by a familiar, yet, uninvited presence.

_Just like the one with the Sharingan eye..._

"There is nothing more satisfying than viewing a rising sun above the village with one of it's most prodigious young minds." The gruff voice of the supposed one-eyed cripple spoke from behind.

Naruto turned his head around to see the Shimura Danzō walking towards him, with the two ANBU bodyguards behind him.

_Speaking of the Sharingan eye..._

"Danzō-sama." He stood up and gave a slight bow to the man that approached him, who in turn gave a slight nod to him in acknowledgment.

"Thought, it's a shame that he does not respect the nature of his home. Perhaps he's not as diligent as I previously believed." A slight poke to the trashed cups of ramen on the ground.

"Sorry for that..." He quickly gathered them to the bag, and went to make a shadow clone to throw them to the closest trashcan.

"But it can be forgiven, as the young minds find out that the international terrorist organization is after him. And that the members of that organization are the former students of his godfather." Danzō spoke in an even voice, waver not even for a second. His body's chakra was calm as the lake at midnight.

The day after he first talked with him, three weeks ago – Naruto read some of his father's notes regarding the man. Describing him as far more dangerous than any of the other Kages of the time, though if not as physically strong as them. Thus giving him a grudging respect even with the philosophies on how the village should be ran differed more than they did during the first term of the Sandaime.

Naruto reevaluated his previous opinion on the man. The public opinion of a half-blind cripple was that of the veteran shinobi who sustained all those injuries while fighting to defend the village during the wars. Underneath all those bandages, on the other hand, it was the cover of the half-blind cripple who kept the village safe with his private army, loyal only to him. It was both _frightening_, but _fascinating_ at the same time. Even with his public image, he still emanated authority and respect wherever he went. Though, he was not a Hokage, he's still stood near the top on the hierarchy.

"Something like that..." Naruto replied in the end, realizing what the man meant, but not falling for his bait fully.

Danzō proceeded to sit on the ground, turned towards the village, and Naruto followed. The two guards remained motionless in the back. Their chakra was as calm as Danzō's.

"Hiruzen trained good students, and in turn, some of them trained others as well. Such a shame those who mattered have never had a true mind of a shinobi." Danzō spoke first.

Naruto sighed, understanding what he meant. His godfather, though initially thought of a failure, became the strongest of the Sarutobi's students. "Perhaps..." But in the end, it was known among the higher circles in the village's administration that Jiraiya was a pacifist. Though it gained him an endorsement from many to become a Hokage, particularly those from the civilian side. It gained him an ire from the significant few. And those few mattered the most. Danzō being chief among them.

"Though, I admit Hiruzen's decision for Kosuke to raise you turned out to be one of his better ideas."

Naruto doubted that the man was fully content with that. A training one, while he was young, would give one plenty of advantages. But the 'problem' is that the ideological perspective was not implemented as one would might want.

Both Kosuke and the Sandaime, later on with Jiraiya, attempted to instill some of their own views on him. The thing that most influenced Naruto were the writings of his great-grandfather.

Initially, he was skeptical of them. But the Wave changed everything.

"He once told me you wanted to train me as well." Naruto said to him. While the notion of training under one of Konoha's greatest Wind users was a tempting one. Naruto did not have a wish to become a mindless drone.

"I did." Danzō gave a slow nod. "And I still want to do it, if you're interested."

The man's sudden bluntness threw Naruto off-guard, and he promptly turned his head towards him, asking a question. "Why?"

"Why?" Danzō repeated his question, tilted his head towards him. "Why not? I have always had a special interest in those with a vast potential, and developing it for the good of the village."

"Forgive my bluntness, Danzō-sama, but I have no wish to become someone's puppet." Naruto told him directly. He shouldn't dwell too deep with the man with a reputation as his.

Danzō snorted through his nostrils for a brief second, his lips turning slightly upwards in a smiling manner. "I have no wish to make a puppet out of you. Just a diligent shinobi of this village. Though you are one already. But even with that, there is always a room for _improvement_, Naruto-san."

Naruto wanted to ask him about the famous shinobis he trained, as he did not know any. But a sudden burst of memory how the old man explained to him the origins of an ANBU's member Tiger and his Wood Release. About how Danzō was the one who cultivated his potential. And that was without turning him into a complete mindless drone.

"So now you're interested in developing my potential as I am officially a shinobi of this village and am thus free to choose if someone else within the village can help me or not..." Naruto stated as a matter-of-fact, getting no reaction from Shimura. "But how can you trust me so easily? I mean... The people who raised me are not of the same ideological mindset as you."

Again, Danzō's lips move slightly upwards in what looked like his satisfactory smile, as he looked at him once more, the brow on his only visible eye was set in a sharp line. "I wouldn't trust you if you gave me your answer now. Come to me once you become a Chūnin or even a Jōnin. If you accepted my offer right here and now, I would never _trust_ you with my knowledge. It's simple as that."

He already started testing him. And he was right. If Naruto actually wanted to be trained sometimes by him, he would have to earn his trust first.

Something personal he experienced must have shaped his view on trust.

_What is his goal regarding me? _Naruto wondered, but he did not try to gouge out the reaction or answer from the man.

Some things... were better left unanswered. _For now_.

They sat there in silence as the sun rose more and moreover the land before Danzō then stood up to leave, and Naruto watched him do it in silence. As he rose up from the ground, a small wind flew over the lower parts of his body, clearing any dirt from the ground that was stuck on it, causing Naruto's eyes to widen for a brief moment at the display of masterful wind manipulation. Danzō acted as if nothing happened at all.

As Naruto watched him begin to leave, he asked one more question regarding his offer that did not sit well with him. "But how will you know to trust me even when I become a Chūnin or a Jōnin?"

Danzō stopped in his movements, turning his head slightly to the left, but not the full turn around as he spoke the following words as if they were the absolute truth in the world. "You said it yourself. Hiruzen, Kosuke, and Jiraiya raised you. When you come to me for training or anything else, I will know you're not following their mindset of a shinobi, but the one that is _imprinted in your blood_."

_I wouldn't come to you otherwise. But if I did, you'd knew if I was genuine in accepting your offer._

Naruto's eyes narrowed at his words. The words that were spoken with sheer firmness that he did not dare to argue, or even attempt to deny them. He wouldn't describe himself as a follower of either side, for he believed that the balance was necessary. Yet Danzō's words were spoken as if everything he said would come true, and Naruto's gut was telling him the same.

"I see..." Naruto only said, before bidding the elder goodbye. "I appreciate the conversation Danzō-sama, I hope we have another in the near future."

The Shimura elder still stood at the place where he stopped, and his head was still turned leftwards. He gave a slight nod along with simple confirmation with the word 'Likewise', beginning to walk again and speaking the following in his wake. "I wish you good luck in your first Chūnin Exams, Naruto-san. I'm sure you'll make our village proud of you."

And he disappeared soon after, leaving Naruto to watch at the direction he left, as the morning sun shone brightly on him. "I sure will, Danzō-sama. I sure will..."

A simple wish of luck. It was another thing he did not expect from him.

As the morning came, Naruto decided against going to the bed. The training with his team was scheduled for the day, and at least he would have to vex the frustrations that have gathered in him from the previous day in a spar with either Sasuke or uncle Kosuke.

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, 26th September**

"Mind telling me why are you so sure that the other contestants will arrive today?" Shikamaru asked him while laying on one of the benches at the roof of one of the buildings that were located close to the main gate of the village.

As Naruto walked from the weapon store, he met Shikamaru roaming the streets bored as ever. Figuring he did not have anything better to do, Naruto asked him to hang out for a time, which Shikamaru accepted. And now they were on the roof, talking about various things that happened in the past weeks since they last saw each other.

"A little toad told me a while ago." Naruto said with a smile, cryptically, while he stood close to the edge of the roof, overlooking the gate not far from there.

A little toad was in fact a simple seal that could detect a more significant chakra movement on the road towards the village. A seal that his clone placed it there a week ago, while returning to the village with his team from a C-rank escort mission. It was located about five miles far from the village's main gate, on the main road. The fact he overheard some Jōnins talking about the arrival of foreign Genins today made him watch over the gate in hopes to see some of the contestants.

"Speaking of toads..." Shikamaru said seriously, rising up and changing into a sitting position on the bench. "When did you plan to tell me about your real identity?"

Naruto leaned back from the edge, and then looked at Shikamaru with an apologetic smile. "So you heard about that, huh?"

"Heard and somewhat figured it out before as well, though I wasn't entirely sure..." As Naruto looked at him with a raised eyebrow, Shikamaru continued, but not before releasing a sigh. "You were always more attentive when it came to the Senju history in classes, and have known far more about the history of that clan than it was taught in the Academy. The recent rumors confirmed my theory."

Naruto did not know wheater to laugh or shout, but he opted for a former, though it was a mild laugh. "So why didn't you ask anything? I figured you would want to confirm something that you weren't completely sure."

Shikamaru rubbed his ear with his pinky finger and spoke at the same time. "I thought you would say it yourself, though you never did. So I just discarded that assumption for a while. But your resemblance to the Yondaime always kept me curious."

Naruto shook his head, still smiling. "And for all this time I thought I was going mad, thinking you stared at me more than it was normal."

"Does anyone else from our generation knows about it?" Naruto asked.

"Ino and Chōji do. The others have probably heard as well. You know Ino... She overheard it somewhere on the streets and ran to tell my team. Though I found out from the Iwa's Bingo Book that was in my old man's office back home."

That brought a temporary cold to Naruto's body for a mere second, as he realized what that truly meant. "I never took for a curious type, Shikamaru." He said with a smile, trying to gouge out what his friend really knew. While the rumors of his real identity are already known. Many adults knew better than to talk about the Kyūbi in public. Iwagakure's Bingo Book was another thing. And another source for gossips to spread around.

"Well, curiosity got better than me this time. I went to look for some scroll to improve my clan techniques, and it all went down from there on."

Naruto approached the bench where Shikamaru sat, and proceeded to sit beside him. "I guess you know about the rest as well?" He asked with a distant look in his eyes as he stared at the roof-floor underneath him. The time when the rest of the village would know about his burden has approached. Those who did not know about it before will soon know. And the law that the old man has made when he was born would not be able to prevent it from being public forever.

Yet he was hoping his friends would not discover so early. Or ever. But the latter was just a dream.

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah. And I'm not judging you or anything before you jump on any conclusions. I mean... I kind of get it why kept everything hidden and all..."

Naruto took a deep breath and then sighed. "I was hoping to keep at least that part of myself hidden as much as possible."

Shikamaru placed a hand on his shoulders and gave a supporting smirk of his. "I haven't told anyone else about it, and I'm not planning on doing it. But even if the others find out, I'm sure they'll understand."

Naruto released a short laugh. "Yeah, I guess. The older villagers already knew about it, and have come to accept me to some degree. So much so that the other day, a plump middle-aged waitress has given me a heart-shaped steak at the Yakiniku Q."

He began avoiding the public places as much as he could, lately. The_ acknowledgment _he carved for was there in some way. Though, he couldn't help but avoid it. The stares from the others of being a Jinchūriki before and the ones who are aware of him being the Yondaime's son and a Senju weren't much different. The stares were the stares, and you were still different from the others. No honesty existed in either of those cases.

"Well, you'll have to learn to live with that burden now. Ino has begun questioning her loyalty to Sasuke once she heard about who you really are."

"Lucky me." Naruto smirked. And right after that, his sensory ability warned him of a familiar presence approaching the gate. One that was not from Konoha. But he remembered it very well. He promptly stood up and walked over to the edge of the roof without saying a word.

"What is it?" Shikamaru asked as he walked beside him.

Both of them stood up there, looking down at the gate where a group of around twenty foreign shinobis was gathered.

From what they could see from their position, those were the Kumogakure Genins and their Jōnin supervisors checking them in at the entrance. Aside from them, there was a group of Konoha's own shinobis standing there in line, preparing to escort them to their residence and the Hokage's Tower to be officially signed in for the exams.

Naruto looked at the group of his future opponents in the upcoming exams. The familiar presence was the Raikage's niece, Mabui. On the other hand, there was a _similar_ one as well.

_**"Well, would you look at that, Nibi has her own jailor as well." **_The Kyūbi said in his mindscape with a hint of amusement.

_"She's got a bijū as well?" _ Naruto questioned him.

_**"Indeed." **_Kyūbi said before continuing again. **_"Looks like Nibi sensed me as well."_**

The Kumo's Jinchūriki turned her head around and looked at the place where he and Shikamaru stood. She was of short stature and long blonde hair.

"Huh?" Shikamaru exclaimed as he noticed her staring at them as well. The others in her group did not saw them, continuing to talk in-between themselves. "It seems you've got a fan from another village already." He added with a sly smile as he looked at the girl staring at their position.

Naruto snorted at that. "Not really. She's looking at us because she probably sensed the fox in me."

"I didn't know a sensor could detect a sealed bijū." Shikamaru commented as his smile turned into a frown.

"It can happen, but she didn't. At best she could only sense something strange within me, like another chakra." Naruto spoke as Shikamaru listened to him. Before he said the next sentence, Naruto turned to his friend with a serious expression on his face. "Her own bijū told her of me."

"Wait, so you mean to say she's a jinchūriki like you?" Shikamaru asked, surprised.

"I do." Naruto said with a nod, still looking at the said girl. In turn, she stared at him intensely with her eyes, though he could see her exact reaction from the distance, he was sure she knew exactly who he was and what he contained. He wouldn't discard the notion of the Yondaime Raikage warning his Genins of him.

"Man... Now I'm really glad Asuma-sensei decided not to sign in my team this year." He said as he went back to sit on the bench.

Naruto turned around and gave him a look of surprise. "So your team won't participate either? Seems like Sasuke and me will be the only rookies this year." He spoke as he sat near him, away from the eyes of his fellow Jinchūriki that stared at them from the entrance gate. "I heard Kiba complaining on the streets the other day about not joining up. I mean... I get why Team 8 won't be there, but not you. Did Ino complain about that treatment?"

"She did, the first day. But on the second it was as if the option to participate was never presented."

It seems you can never get bored with Ino around. Though, Shikamaru had a different take on the fun people around him.

"Maybe it is for the best." Naruto admitted. "Who knows who the other villages might send... Best not risk any unnecessary losses."

"I just hope the next year won't have any hot-shot targets to kill the rest of us in the crossfire..."

"Only if Sasuke or I don't pass this year." Naruto smiled from the side. It was true. Both he and Sasuke were the prime targets of an assassination in these exams. Sasuke knew that as well. Hence why the security in the village was on the highest levels possible.

It wasn't as if either of them were scared of that. Naruto at least wasn't. But still... The Fūin tattoo on his wrists, hidden by the bandages he always wore on his arms around the village was there – ready to lend him a weapon if it ever came to the situation when the Sword of the Thunder God was unavailable. Or when the standard weaponry he would 'have' was useless in the situation.

"Better not get any ideas. I'd loath to fight with you in a pointless fight." Shikamaru muttered with a hint of laughter in his eyes.

"Too troublesome?"

"Too troublesome."

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, 1st October, The Academy Room 301, 09:00 AM**

The next few days leading to the exams have passed quickly. Naruto had spent time training with his team and talking with Kosuke about the preliminary rounds before the final one.

Apparently, a written test was usually the first part of the exams. While the second round of survival was held in a few specially designated areas – usually the Forest of Death. At least for the one that was held in Konoha. The other villages had their own system of eliminations. And because of that, the Genins of the host village consisted of the largest percentage of those who would pass to the final round.

He wondered how deep would the collaboration be between the higher-ups of the village and the Genins. Would the Genins of the host village know more about their opponents then it was supposed to be known?

_Maybe I'm getting too paranoid over nothing..._

Aside from a few of his closest friends and acquaintances, and _Danzō_, who wished him good luck – he did not get any sort of outside help regarding the exams that would place him in front of the other Genins.

The Genins of the other nations probably knew of their own terrain as much as he knew about his.

The knowledge of the opponents was something that he gathered by himself. And not much to say the least. Aside from the observation of the occasional older Konoha Genin who talked about the exams on the streets and having Naruto overhear them – he couldn't gather much, barring their chakra reserves.

And now, they were at one of the Academy's larger rooms, where the first round of the exams was scheduled to be.

Naruto and his team came early. In fact, they were the first team to arrive at the designated room. But before long, the others started arriving as well.

They sat on the chairs that were positioned near the windows as other contestants began filling the room.

The reason they came early was to see their reactions on either him or Sasuke. And he was gifted with the plenty of them. All the while Sasuke sat on his chair, leaning onto the palm of his hand with his eyes closed – ignoring them, while uncle Kosuke polished his sword with a smile on his face.

The Chūnin-hopefuls from Konoha came with their own teams, and were generally carefree – contrary to those from the other villages who came in joint groups. Particularly those who came from the Village Hidden in the Rain.

He counted twenty-one Genin from Ame when they entered. All of them were older than him, and were wearing their equipment and clothes in a rather similar fashion – though he could deduce who was in which team. Chains and umbrellas were the most common weapons, but Naruto could see at least two of them having Kusarigama on either their belts or hips. But their clothes were not the only thing that caught his attention. It was the look they sent towards him.

It was like a predator preparing to catch his prey – or so they wanted it to look that way.

Naruto had already fought three missing-nins from Ame, and while he beat them – he was more familiar with their attitude than skill. _Proud, vain, and cruel_.

"Seems like Shikamaru was right when he said there are hot-shot targets at this year's exam." Naruto muttered, leaning back to the chair and crossing his arms in a displeased manner.

"It seems they're more targeting you than me." Sasuke said to him, still leaning onto his palm and having his eyes closed. For a guy who came from a clan that worshiped a special type of eyes, he loved hiding his onyx glare from the world.

"So you are jealous I'm stealing your base of worship." Naruto said dryly, but the next thing he spoke in a whisper. "We'll need to make a plan for the second round." Sasuke turned his attention to him from his right, while uncle Kosuke did the same from his left side.

"The Amegakure Genins will most likely target us when they get the chance."

"True, they do not seem to be a pleasant type of company." Kosuke whispered with a frown. "The second round in the Forest of Death is the safest place for them to try anything that their village has told them to do."

"Assassination." Sasuke stated lowly, his eyes opening and gaze darkening.

"Probably, but most likely not." Naruto simply said. When Sasuke gave him a questioning look he continued. "I'll explain it to you some other time, but trust me when I tell you they aren't targeting us for a simple assassination."

If the revelations about his godfather's former students did not reach him – he would have thought they were here for an assassination.

"If you say so..." Sasuke replied with a hint of skepticism, turning his attention towards the door where a new group of Genins entered through the door.

_Suna-nins._

There were more of them than the Ame-nins, but what truly set them aside was the fact that the three Genins entered separately, later, than the main group. And just like with the Kumogakure's Jinchūriki – he got a similar feeling that was radiating from the auburn-haired kid with a large gourd on his back. But he did not need Kyūbi's help to know who he was.

_Gaara of the Sand. The youngest child of the Yondaime Kazekage and a Jinchūriki of the Ichibi. _He was told long ago about him, long ago when he was still a kid in the Academy, with a fear of carrying a massive demon of destruction in his belly. The old man told him of the unstable son of the Yondaime Kazekage, who was the same age as him. It did not calm him much back then, but he understood that he was not the only 'noble' who was a pariah of society. There were others like him as well.

One might think that being born in a prestigious clan can give you an easy life if you go the right way. But if your destiny was sealed on the day of your birth, nothing can be changed. And unlike the civilians who idolized his clan, among many others, he was not spared of the burden he carried like they were.

His fellow Jinchūriki must have recognized him as well, because as soon as he entered, he looked at him with maniacal eyes.

_So much about finding a common ground..._

"He has unpleasant eyes." Sasuke stated lowly, as he watched at Gaara looking at them.

Naruto nodded. "We should avoid him in the next round if we can." He said in a low tone. Again, Sasuke gave him a questioning look but did not disagree. "He's like me. If it came for the two of us to fight, it is better if we do that with supervision."

Countless problems could arise if either of them killed each other. The death of a Jinchūriki could cause it's bijū to be released and cause even more havoc. Maybe not at that exact moment, but in a few years – when no-one expects it.

He knew, better said – he hoped, that the Kyūbi would not cause havoc if he were to be released. A risky move, and as the fox was smart – he would not risk himself be imprisoned again.

"Someone might need to fight him in the finals anyway." Sasuke muttered.

_It would be best if it was me who'll fight him._

Kumogakure's Genin teams entered next – jointly. Followed by those of Kusagakure and Takigakure entering separately, each team of its own.

While walking towards the seats, the blonde Kumogakure's Jinchūriki exchanged the minor eye-contact with him. As they stared at each other for a brief moment, the curiosity was something he could gouge out from her eyes for the most part. But in the end, she walked over to her seat, not turning back to look at his direction for even the briefest of moments.

The general entrance of each village's teams showed the way on how they would play out in the future.

The Leaf Genins showed themselves as a naive side, as did those of Takigakure and Kusagakure. The Amegakure and Kumogakure would work well between themselves.

As more and more Genins filled the room, Naruto and his team watched and observed their competition.

"Do you have anyone on the list we should avoid for the time being?" A question came from Sasuke.

"Yes." Naruto said in a low tone to him. "The Suna's Jinchūriki's team and the one from Kumogakure, though I doubt they'll engage us in the next round. Aside from them, no-"

As he spoke to Sasuke, a cloud of smoke erupted at the front part of the room, and dozens of Konoha shinobi appeared in it. He recognized the few from the streets, but not he did not know their names.

"Alright you maggots, keep it down and shut up!" A scarred man with a bandana and Konoha's forehead protector said the moment the smoke from their arrival dispersed.

The entire room went silent, only the sounds of heavy breathing could be heard.

"My name is Morino Ibiki and I'll be your supervisor for the first round of the exam. Be as calm as you can and approach the front desk to take the number of the seat you'll sit and be quiet."

Once he took his number he went over the seat at the upper left corner of the seats. Left of him a Chūnin already took a seat on the chair by the window. It was Hagane Kotetsu, one of the usual guards of the main gate.

He had an easy smile on his face as he looked at him, and a sheet of paper on a writing pad. Ticking his pen on it as he waited, along with everyone else to finally sit down.

"Now that you're all settled, it is time for me to explain to you the rules regarding your conduct at these exams. Remember that the moment you accepted to participate in these exams you accepted to represent your home village as well. And that means!" His shout startled a few of the contestants.

Naruto took a chance to take a look at where uncle Kosuke and Sasuke were seated. Both on the other parts of the room. Uncle Kosuke in the front row, just as him, while Sasuke was somewhere in the middle.

Next to Naruto an Ame Genin with black hair, pair of glasses, and an earring that had an Amegakure symbol hanging down. From the outside perspective for a moment as it rotated around in the air, it looked as it was crossed over as a horizontal line held the four vertical one's standing firm.

He was listening to Ibiki speak, but he must have sensed Naruto's eyes boring into him. He promptly turned his head around and gave him a confident smirk in return. One that Naruto didn't pay attention to as he turned his attention to Ibiki, who was about to continue.

Ibiki held himself satisfied by instilling the fear into some of the Genins with his shout, from what Naruto could tell.

"And that means..." He repeated himself once again. "Is that you are not allowed to fight in the first round. You are not allowed to attack the other contestants, because the first round is a _simple_ written test. Breaking this rule will get you immediately disqualified, along with your team."

That much was obvious.

Ibiki went on to explain the grading system of the test and the rules regarding cheating – which made Naruto curious as to why would they allow you to cheat five times.

"Bear in mind that if you are caught cheating and losing all your initial ten points, you will have your team disqualified as well. The proctor will watch over that you _respect... _this rule." Ibiki said, saying the word 'respect' a bit longer than usual.

Naruto noticed that the Amegakure Genin beside him flinched for a moment, and that made him smile.

No matter what kind of questions would be on the test – he was sure that both uncle Kosuke with his decades-old experience and Sasuke who was highly intelligent would be able to answer them.

"Now..." Ibiki made a ram hand sign and the papers in front of every contestant appeared from the seal that was placed on the table. "You may open up your tests and begin. You have exactly one hour. Starting... Now!"

Naruto opened the paper in front of him and took a good look at all of the questions. The further he went the harder the questions seemed.

_Or not. _If he wasn't able to answer these how would Sasuke or uncle Kosuke be able to? Not to mention nearly all of the other contestants here.

Judging by the lack of sound of a pencil touching the desk through paper – he was right. These questions were made for an experienced shinobi.

_Plenty of them here are experienced, to say the least. _The older Genins surely had more experience than him, but he doubted that even half of the Chūnins here could answer these. Cryptography was a specialization of the Analysis Team.

He started with that question, going one by one. He did notice that there was a tenth question, reserved to be given near the end. He ignored it for now.

But as he thought about the correct answer he realized he did not have a single hunch as to how to break the code. Nothing.

_That's just perfect_. Naruto thought cynically, but then a sound of a fastwriting filled the room and another, and another one. The three Genins must have know the answer to these.

He focused on his sensory ability to pinpoint their exact location within the room.

The closest guy to him was three rows behind.

_Like I'll be able to cheat from him. _

He realized how much he thought about cheating, and on the first question at that. He looked over at the letters below the question again. The words he gathered weren't hard to see. The closest sentence he could form was 'Consider his endgame among them'. And that was once he excluded the other words he saw.

_'Consider his endgame among them'._ He thought about what that could mean. He still had forty-five minutes to answer the other eight after this one. The Amegakure Genin that sat next to him did not write even his name on the paper yet, constantly fidgeting at his seat.

He heard the sound of a kunai hitting the wood.

"Number forty-eight, you are disqualified." Ibiki said from the place where he stood.

"Wha-what? Why? What did I do?" The Genin in question asked frightened.

"I have personally seen you cheat five times. And a pathetic five times those were. Number seventeen. Number fifty-six. Leave the room as well."

The last thing Naruto heard was the sound of a door being closed.

_Caught cheating five times... Why would he even allow us to cheat and continue if he caught us the first time? Cheat._

_'Consider his endgame among them.' c – h – e – a – t. _Naruto formed another word from the first letter of each word.

He smirked and thought inwardly. _I see... So he wants us to cheat in the first place. Perfect._

Except he didn't have any particular technique that could help him in this situation. Only the fact he now knew the answer for the first question, and a way to find the answer to the rest of them. The shurikenjutsu question, he could answer without cheating, but the rest of them... Hardly. If he had another six hours to think about them – maybe he could.

_Now to cheat... And how to cheat..._

Only one technique could be used for this type of situation. Naruto remembered. But the use of it was risky, and could easily expose him.

_Fortune favors the bold. _And fortune was rare in a shinobi life. He waited for another fifteen minutes to pass for those who knew the answers to finish writing them. In the meantime, Naruto wrote the answer to the three more questions which answers he knew.

_Let's just get it over with. _Naruto thought as he moved his hands under the desk and placing them into a sign that would make a shadow clone. He focused on making a shadow clone that would appear beside Ibiki. Not far from him to be discovered right away for what he was about to do.

A cloud of smoke appeared next to Ibiki, covering Naruto's shadow clone for a brief second for anyone else to see who hid underneath it. But for that brief second, his shadow clone transformed into a copy of Ibiki himself.

The room went perplexed at the show in front of them. Though Ibiki said nothing as he stood there next to Naruto's clone.

He only gave a short snort, while his stern face morphed into a smirk. "Go on then. Do what you wanted."

Naruto watched his clone-transformed-Ibiki walk over one of the Genins he had sensed was writing the answers previously. Once the clone approached it, he took a paper from the man and took a good look into it. The rest of the room was silent. Once he memorized the answers from the paper, the clone dispelled and his memories returned to Naruto.

Ibiki decided to speak at that moment. "The next one who decides to use that, or anything like that, will be disqualified. Now stop looking around like a bunch of retards. Eyes on your tests!"

Naruto wanted to release a sigh he was holding the whole time. He was happy to know that the four questions he answered were correct. Hard to think that another man would think the same as him.

After another five minutes, he started writing the rest of them in.

"Number seven. You are disqualified." Ibiki shouted.

"How? Why?" It was the Amegakure Genin that sat next to him.

Ibiki replied to him. "Did you really think I would not notice you peeking to see what the Senju wrote?"

Naruto did notice the Ame-nin's eyes occasionally looking over at his paper and writing down the same answers as he did.

"If only you were as creative as him in that regard." Naruto's blood froze at Ibiki's words. And the man now wore a proud smirk as he looked at him. "Number eighteen. Number sixty-seven. Leave the room as well."

"_Son of a bitch..." _Naruto heard the Ame Genin mutter as he left the room.

Once the door closed again, Ibiki spoke. "You may continue."

For the remaining time, Naruto sat calmly at his seat. He answered the rest of the questions and was content to wait now. Ibiki called out more and more Genins to leave the room as they were caught cheating. Two had to be physically removed from the room as they continuously denied that they were cheating.

But Ibiki never disqualified him. Even though he saw through his disguise somehow.

_Of course he would see through it. I just wonder how..._

"Alright. It's time for the final question." Ibiki spoke, some ten minutes before the time was supposed to run out. But before he continued the door opened. Naruto turned around and saw one of Suna's Jinchūriki's teammates enter through them.

Ibiki spoke in an even tone. "If you're done playing with your dolls, sit down to hear the final question." At the flinch of the Suna boy, Ibiki smirked and continued. "Don't worry about it. Just take your seat."

_He probably knows about the way everyone cheated but decided to eliminate only those that were too obvious. This entire test must have been both a psychological and practical elimination. _Naruto allowed a smirk to appear on his face, while he rested his head on his hand and listened to Ibiki speak further.

"But in order to hear this question at all, you will have to choose whether you'll take it or not." At the puzzled expressions of the other contestants, he continued once again. "But if you decide to take it, and get it wrong – you will lose all of your points and you will have your team disqualified. In addition to that, _you will be forbidden from ever taking the Chūnin Exams ever again_!" His previously even, but stern voice got to the borders of a shout.

"What!?" A female screeching voice from behind him shouted. "What kind of fucking rule is that?"

Naruto turned his head around and saw that it was a dark-skinned girl with red hair from Kumogakure. Though not even before he turned around, he saw that the girl was voluntarily subdued and frightened by the aura Ibiki released.

"A rule that I make as the head supervisor of the first round. Now shut up and don't interrupt me again." He said in a stern voice.

No-one else dared to ask questions or to raise their voice in protest.

"You have five minutes to decide, and you will have another five to answer that question."

Naruto could feel the nervousness of the others in the room. Somewhat understandable nervousness, but pointless as well. Not every Chūnin was promoted through the exams. The field promotion was much more common. But that fact did not calm down many of the contestants, as they started raising hands one by one and leaving the room, followed by their disappointed and bitter teammates. And a snide remarks from the smirking proctors from the side.

Naruto could see in Ibiki's face that he was satisfied with this development, as more and more contestants emptied the room. Leaving only a fraction of those that originally came.

"Well. Good choice you made I must say." Ibiki said. He waited for a few more moments before he spoke again, this time with a small smile. "Those of you who remained... Congratulation on passing to the next round."

And a chorus of 'What?!' could be heard by from many corners of the room, but Naruto did not pay heed to them. He only smiled, satisfied that he and his team passed to the second round.

* * *

**The Hokage's Office, at the same time**

From his crystal ball, Hiruzen watched as the first round took place. In the room, the present was Kakashi, who watched his students cheat with him.

"Ibiki was right, he did creatively use the shadow clone." Kakashi commented, proudly.

"Indeed he did." Hiruzen nodded. "Seventy-two have passed onto the second round."

"I'm surprised with the amount of the Amegakure Genins that have passed." Kakashi said, a frown appearing on his only visible eye.

_Indeed... _"It probably means that this generation of theirs is more promising than the previous ones." Hiruzen said, ambiguously.

"Only that?" Kakashi questioned.

"For now." Hiruzen gave him _the look_. One that left no room for further questions. He still hadn't revealed information about the Akatsuki and their involvement with the Amegakure and possibility of a coup there, but. Perhaps he should.

_All at the right time._

"I have placed seven ANBU teams near the Forest of Death, Kakashi. Just in case there is no foreign involvement with some of our Genins."

Kakashi understood that. "Naruto and Sasuke."

Hiruzen nodded.

"How many parties would be involved?"

"If I'm being honest with you? I have no idea myself..." Kakashi said nothing, but his raised eyebrow signified that he expected some sort of clue. "Whatever the actual number is... No-one can interrupt this round, at any cost."

"Who are the prime suspects?" Kakashi queried. When it comes to his students, the man could get serious and sat aside his slothfulness for a greater good.

"At first... The Genins of the Sound village supposed to be our top priority for surveillance. _Unfortunately_, my former student did not send them here. The incident Naruto-kun had with one of his spies has born fruit in countering some of his actions against Konoha."

"But you don't think Orochimaru will just sit and do nothing?"

Sarutobi released a cloud of smoke from his mouth and snorted, followed by another cloud of smoke. "Heh. I know he is still intending on causing a ruckus. I have Jiraiya supervising the area with his toad as well. The only question is... It's how sure of himself he is to actually come here alone?"

_What are you thinking of now, my former student..._

Kakashi walked over to the window, looking at the village. "I will be near the Forest of Death as well. Just to be sure."

Sarutobi nodded. "It's why I called you here in the first place. You should go straight to the tower before the round begins. If you notice anything suspicious. Act right away. Keep an eye on the team with the Suna's Jinchūriki in it. They are the second behind Orochimaru, who are _a threat_. Jiraiya is in the tower by the way. And he will remain there for the duration of the second round."

He would have to include Kakashi into a more detailed investigation of the Akatsuki, separated from the one that he would reveal to his Jōnin's. Itachi hasn't reported to Jiraiya in months. And Hiruzen did not know even know if he was alive or not. Much worse was, when not even Danzō knew it. And that man was supposed to know everything.

"So our alliance means nothing and they are to be treated as potential enemies..." Kakashi said with a sigh. "And to think how complicated the negotiations were..."

Hiruzen brought both of his hands together, resting his chin on them. "I won't risk anything that could endanger our village, Kakashi. Rasa has shown his true colors the moment he sent his unstable son to our village. Without even cautioning us of his condition in the first place. Even Kumogakure reported that one of their Genins, Nii Yugito, is a Jinchūriki. But Rasa said nothing. If it weren't for Jiraiya's spy network in this case. We might not even know about it, _initially_. The _Allies_ we may be, but Suna has always kept hidden about their internal affairs. Or at least – they tried."

"But the affair regarding his son is not everything that is making you wary of him? Am I correct?"

Hiruzen said nothing for a few seconds, before giving Kakashi a curt nod. "We will discuss it at the meeting in a week. Right after the end of the second round."

"I understand, Hokage-sama." Said Kakashi. "I will take my leave to get ready and move to the tower. With your permission."

"Permission granted." Hiruzen grunted, after which Kakashi began to walk to the door. But Hiruzen called him out before he left. "Kakashi."

Kakashi turned around. "Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Orochimaru. Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Amegakure. Our enemies and the potential ones are many, while we are all alone. Just as I said to Jiraiya and the ANBU's. Act only if you deem it necessary to do so. The rules state that we are not allowed to jump in unless there is an emergency. In the current case, only if Orochimaru gets involved, or one of the Jinchūriki becomes unstable. Once you meet Jiraiya, he will explain everything to you, and how to act in case something goes wrong to the point the village and the civilians could be endangered."

Kakashi bowed slightly. "Understood, Hokage-sama."

"You may go now."

When Kakashi left, Hiruzen stood up and walked over to the window.

For many years he tried to keep the peace in the village – but the peace was never an option apparently.

For many years he tried to keep the peace in the village – so the clans would not fight among themselves. In doing so. The two most powerful clans were reduced to two members each. A thing that made him ashamed of his reign the most. He wondered if Danzō would have done a better job with them from day one?

Turning behind once again, Hiruzen faced the picture of his sensei and predecessor, hanging on the wall. Would Tobirama-sensei be proud of him and his decisions? Or would he scorn him for allowing everything that came to this present day?

His emotions in his picture were unreadable as always. Sometimes he could see the pride and sometimes scorn. He realized that both of those emotions on the face of his sensei could describe his entire reign.

There were moments where he was proud of himself, and where he believed that the people would remember fondly of him. But there were moments where he scorned himself, just as the picture of Tobirama-sensei would periodically do it.

He failed to stop Orochimaru from leaving. His student, Jiraiya, failed to stop his own orphaned students from becoming international criminals.

Now Orochimaru's snake-like eyes loomed over the village, threatening to extinguish the Will of Fire. And the flame of one of it's most important clans.

While the Akatsuki threatened to cut the tree of Senju's, a lifeforce that created the village he vowed to protect.

Hiruzen traced his fingers over the cristal ball that shone clean darkness when inactive. He threw a look at the papers that were billed up on the table as well.

Sarutobi released a sigh. _Some other time..._

For now, he would watch the second round through his crystal ball. As time passed he watched Naruto and his team standing near the gates of the Forest of Death. All the other Genins were there as well, though, all separated into their own groups.

Anko wore her usual clothes as she explained the rules of the second round, giving the papers the contestants would have to sign that Konoha would not be responsible for their deaths if it came to it.

He hoped there wouldn't be many deaths in the second round. Especially among the Genins from Konoha. Though, by looking at the attitude of some of Ame-nins, his hopes would remain just that. Wishful thinking.

They did not hide their interest in Naruto, which made Hiruzen wonder on how his surrogate grandson would deal with them. Only a small part of him was worried, for he knew that Naruto could very well deal with them. Especially with Kosuke and Sasuke at his side.

On the other hand, a showcase of the open animosity towards Naruto from Amegakure shinobi confused him. Would the Akatsuki leadership of their village act openly and so brazenly against Naruto? The last report from Itachi to Jiraiya said that they are years behind their goal of capturing every single tailed beast. And while back then, Itachi never mentioned why are they waiting so long, Hiruzen could deduce it was because of Yagura's death, and time it takes for a bijū to restore his physical manifestation.

"They probably want to test him for future reference." He muttered to himself.

The hour of waiting passed. And soon, he noticed that Anko announced the beginning of the second round.

Whatever the Amegakure Genins mean to do with Naruto, they would hit an unbreakable wall.

* * *

**The Forest of Death**

"Mind telling me why are you donning your armor?" Sasuke asked, kneeling on the ground and checking his equipment before they embarked deeper into the forest.

Naruto decided he would wear some sort of shinobi battle armor. Similar to the one his ancestor had. It was made of some sort of grey iron, with his clan's symbol inscribed on its chest.

They have finished the written test and were readying themselves to finish the second round. They only had to find an 'Earth' scroll to complete it. With a sensor in their team, it would be easy to find another team and see if they had what they needed.

"Copying your ancestor?" Sasuke added.

"Look who's talking about copying." Naruto said to him with a snort, all the while connecting some sort of white fur on his shoulders. And Kosuke helping him.

"I'm born with the potential to awake the Sharingan. I did not choose to have it." _Is that a wolf's fur? _Sasuke asked inwardly. "And what's with a fur anyway?"

"I never saw you complain about having it." Naruto replied to him.

"And as for the fur... The fur is here..." Naruto began, making a ram seal. "to do this." In an instant, the white fur got bigger and covered his blonde teammate from hair to his feet. "Touch it."

"I see..." Sasuke muttered, knocking his fingers onto the white fur as it was some sort of door. Although, not a wooden door. This was a hard material. Like the iron that was used to make a kunai. "But why do you need it anyway? I think we can deal with any opposition without you wearing it."

"True." Naruto said, pausing to strengthen the armbands. "We could. But I'd rather not risk it. Especially as we are to have some company soon."

"Are you sure, Naruto-kun?" Kosuke asked him, placing his hand to his sword. Naruto gave him a nod. "We should make an ambush in that case. Do you know who is coming by the way?"

Again, Naruto nodded. "It's best if we don't waste any time here. We are too close to the gates. And if it is possible, I want to check something first when it comes to the fight."

"So where we're going then?" Sasuke asked him. "It's obvious by now that you want to be on the front."

"You really know me." Naruto said with a smile, but Sasuke thought it was not one of his usual, genuine smiles. There was no satisfaction in his eyes. Pure ice remained.

"Lead the way then." He said. If they were to make an ambush, it was better if they did not waste any time.

And they jumped deep into the forest, a tree by tree, and a branch by branch. As they jumped further, Sasuke, who was behind Naruto, and behind him, Kosuke, noticed something that was stuck by his blonde teammate's sandal. It was very little, but noticeable, as it was a contrast to Naruto's black sandals, with its pinkish color.

"You have something stuck on your sandal." Sasuke said to his teammate, who continued jumping and ignoring his words.

He only gave a simple. "I know." And continued jumping further.

They soon reached a small clearing somewhere within the forest, by the river that flew towards the north.

"This should be good enough." Naruto said, looking around at the trees and nodding to himself once again. He then made around ten clones who scattered in various directions, while the real Naruto remained there with him and Kosuke.

"So we need to find an Earth scroll in order to pass."

"Indeed." Naruto nodded.

He motioned for them to get closer, as the all three knelt to the ground and formed a triangular circle.

"It seems that the fifteen of them are after us. The Amegakure Genins." Naruto said, whilst closing his eyes and placing a finger onto the ground, sensing the range around them, the best of his ability.

"Are you sure they're after _us_?" Sasuke has asked him, a bit skeptical on the whole affair. He did not know why the Amegakure group would join together and go after them.

"It is more that they're after me." Naruto admitted, looking at neither him or Kosuke for that matter. Only at the trees behind them and the river that separated this part of the forest from the other one.

"Because of the Kyūbi?" Sasuke asked bluntly. That was the only reason why someone would be after his teammate if it went over the boundaries of the clans. He saw Kosuke frown at his question while Naruto remained silent for a moment, before giving him a short nod. But Sasuke felt as if there was something more than just that.

"If they truly are after the Kyūbi, then I doubt they would show so much animosity back when they entered the room in the Academy. Or before the beginning of the second round barely half-an-hour ago. Moreover, it would be hard for them to even capture the Kyūbi and take it out of the village. I believe there is more to this than that." Kosuke stated, looking at Naruto.

"That is true as well, uncle." Naruto nodded once again. "That's why I would like to question a few of them after the battle."

"Have your clones set up the traps?" Kosuke asked.

"They did. Also-" Naruto began, but changed his wording right away. "It seems they are here as well." He turned around and stood up, looking at the upper part of the large trees that were located behind him.

Sasuke lifted his head and looked up at the trees as well. He counted right away fifteen people present. Just as Naruto has said there would be.

"So they've finally arrived." Kosuke drew his sword and stood in a battle position, a feet behind Naruto on his left side. Sasuke followed, and drew eight kunai from his holster, taking a hold of them between his fingers. Only Naruto remained unarmed. And unperturbed as well.

A rather tall girl jumped down to the ground, followed by two males. She had long raven hair and pale skin that was covered with revealing black clothes. On the upper part, only something akin to a bra could be seen, hiding nothing that could make the boys lose their head over. On the lower just a regular shinobi pants. All black. Her face, or better said, the left eye had a long black tattoo over it the form of a thick black line.

The males wore black clothes as well, though, more military-looking ones. The Amegakure headband shone brightly as the glimmer of light from the sun sneaked into the dark forest. One had kusarigama in his hands, while the other held shinobigatana.

The other twelve remained standing scattered on the trees. One could easily guess who belonged to which team. The same pattern just like of those three on the ground. But different colors.

Kosuke kept an eye on the six shinobis that were directly in front of him. Some forty feet away. Sasuke did the same. But he listened to the following conversation in any case and taking a quick look at the spectators on the ground in front of him.

The girl who first jumped to the ground spoke up. "I'm surprised how easy it was to find you, Senju. I expected it would be more difficult from the stories we have heard."

"Oh." Naruto exclaimed, crossing his arms. Sasuke couldn't see his full face, though he suspected there was a smirk out there. A genuine one, unlike the smile from before. "And what could make you so interested in me? There are other fishes to be sought by a worm bait. Other 'royal' children who are the same as me. And even others who are not as royal, but are as important."

All the while he talked, the scowl at the face of the girl deepened. Her eyes looking murderous. While her more composed teammates had a simple frown out there. Controlled – because the girl looked like she was about to explode in fury.

"Talking about worms like that, huh? One still led us to you." She said, smirking.

"You mean this one?" Naruto asked, acting innocently as he took the worm that stuck on the fabric beneath his sandal, into his right hand. "You weren't very subtle. If you wished to have an element of a surprise – you _should have_ chosen a bit more appropriate weather to do it. It hadn't rained for seven days by now, in Konoha. And it doesn't look like it's gonna rain anytime soon either. If you left your rainy homeland more often, you would know that, _Ohama-san_." (1)

Naruto's words angered her, but she still did not attack. "So you know I'm from Ohama clan... It's not like it matters anyway... As both you and your teammates are going to die here today."

Sasuke worked his brain for a second, remembering a lesson from the Academy about the foreign clans. Ohama clan of the Land of Rain, specialization in worms, and a use of them. Similarly to the Aburame clan and their bugs. But with worms. One of the founding clans of the Village Hidden in the Rain, alongside the Hattori.

"I don't think animals can share the same chakra signature with humans. The only cases I'm familiar with are the bugs of the Aburame clan, and a few other clans from other nations who specialize in similar techniques. So when a skinny worm crawled up to my boot while Anko-san was reciting the rules, I recalled one clan from the Amegakure who is known to use worms for various purposes." Naruto said without pausing for a moment. Sasuke could detect even a hint of amusement in his voice as he spoke. But it still went unanswered on why he did nothing to prevent the Amegakure group tracking them.

"Why didn't you remove the worm then? Are you brave or just stupid?" The girl said with narrowed eyes. But Sasuke started seeing hints of fear, as her voice cracked for a moment.

"Same can be said about you lot." Naruto replied. The previous amusement was gone, and indifference took its place. _Probably another mask as well. _Sasuke thought.

Then another Genin, the one in a yellow jumpsuit with spiky brown hair, and some sort of underwater breathing mask – jumped down and spoke to the Ohama girl, followed by the other two who dressed in a similar fashion.

"Control your emotions, Otsuya. Remember the mission your uncle Hamachi gave us. It's no use if you play into his game."

_So they had a mission regarding Naruto... _Sasuke thought inwardly. He noticed Naruto moving both of his hands behind his back, and moving the right one into his holster – pretending to dig something from it.

_He is baiting them again... _It was the strategy he took a liking to in the period after the catastrophe in the Wave. Against bandits, since they fought them for the most part. It was hard for Sasuke to imagine that his rival in who would be the more gloomy in the Academy could change in that way.

Naruto's movements alarmed the Ame-nins and they stood in the battle position.

_Regardless of the mission they had, the fear is still there._

While his right hand explored the holster, he sent them a message with his left one.

_Don't – take – your – eyes – off – the enemy. _Was the most important one.

_So it begins. _While he had his own taste of blood, by killing some highway robbers on one of their missions. This was a completely different thing.

This would be his actual first taste of real combat. The death was a common theme in his dreams. Whether it was him killing someone, or witnessing someone being killed.

The people he would be fighting were about to die. Him dying was not an option. If he died here, it would be as if he never lived in the first place. His clan would die out with him – unavenged.

_Right behind you, Naruto._

* * *

_Those six to uncle Kosuke, those three in a yellow jumpsuit to Sasuke. And the other six to me._

Naruto considered his strategy carefully. The enemy did not attack, even if they came to them first. It seems that the tall Ohama girl was their leader. And that his comments stopped her resolve and advance.

_Let's see if this will work..._

He made another hand signal to Kosuke and Sasuke on who should they fight, but he did not turn around to see if they understood it.

However, the voice of his surrogate uncle affirmed his line of sight. "You can count on us, Naruto-kun."

And that of Sasuke as well. "Whenever you're ready."

He removed his hand from his holster, and the Ame-nins tensed. But instead of drawing a weapon he simply rubbed his nose for a second, while his eyes were set on his targets.

He wanted to capture some of them at least. For he doubted a minor village, like Amegakure, the one that Konoha didn't wage war against in twenty years would decide that he was a threat to them on a whim.

With the knowledge that Akatsuki might control that village. A simple assassination of him would be a foolish mission. Especially considering what they wanted from him. But he also doubted that these Genins knew what Akatsuki actually was.

And that the Akatsuki would send a bunch of Genins to try and 'eliminate' him.

_They won't learn anything about me today_.

After all. Not leaving your homeland too often can result in ignorance regarding your own clan special animals. Or she simply thought a foreigner wouldn't know something like that. Whatever the reason was – he will make sure these people never repeat their mistakes again.

...

Naruto decided to act first. He quickly activated the seals that were hidden among the leaves in the trees. But not those where his opponents were located. He did not have 'traps' placed in there. Many shinobis could sense them easily if they were very close to them. But that was the reason he placed them there in the first place. A diversion.

The explosion enveloped the upper part of the clearing in smoke that cut the line of sight for the Ame-nins at the top.

Naruto quickly jumped at the smoke as fast as he could. The gravity seals were turned off the moment he entered the Forest of Death.

As he exited the smoke, he already had a kunai in his hand ready to be used. The sword of his ancestor was a liability in this situation. Too shinny and too easy to be noticed.

One of the Ame Genins he decided he would fight was caught by surprise and was easily killed by him by a slice of a kunai over his throat. He did not look into his eyes. It was not the time to think about those at the end of his blade.

"Not so fast, you Senju bastard!" The Ohama girl shouted from behind him, holding a kunai of her own in her hand.

Naruto quickly replaced himself with a Genin he just killed. "Didn't I just admonished you about an element of a surprise down there?"

She did not say a word, only giving him a smirk in return while her kunai was dug into the heart of his fallen opponent.

He noticed a spiky chain surround him from above, and sensed one of her teammates coming from behind ready to stab him in the back.

And so, for the second time in twenty seconds, Naruto used a substitution again. This time with a piece of wood from the tree.

The chain encircled the log which appeared in the air, while Naruto stood behind the man that attacked him.

The moment he appeared behind his enemy, Naruto infused the Wind chakra from his mouth into his kunai, strengthening it and prolonging its line of attack.

_Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!_

The man was caught by a surprise, just as he was cut by the blade a second later.

Two deaths, in not even a minute. But he did not dwell on it as the battle continued.

The two remaining Amegakure shinobi that stood at the top of the tree initially, now flanked him from both sides – intending on killing him. But before their blades were stuck into him – the fur of the wolf that hung on his shoulders enlarged itself with the chakra he has sent into it moments before, surrounding his body in its entirety.

_Needle Jizō!_

A sound of kunai clashing with his hardened fur filled the air.

A small section around his face was left open, allowing him to see the other two enemies not far from him. The fur that surrounded him left the space inside of the protection for him to move his hands. Naruto brought his two fingers up and focused on his chakra.

_Needle Hell!_

A rain of needles was sent flying into all directions around him.

"I hope I did not hit those two with this attack."

He sensed the two-man that flanked him still alive, however, but wounded, as their chakra was getting lower and lower, while they were falling on the ground. Sasuke and Kosuke were still alive, and they did not seem to be too exhausted, or at all for that matter.

As the last two attackers fell on the ground, Naruto began to retract his fur back to its normal size. At the same time, the Ohama girl appeared on the same gigantic branch of a tree where she was previously standing.

Her last remaining teammate suddenly appeared from beneath the large branch, in an attempt to put him down with his blade. But a simple jump from Naruto prevented him from doing it.

As he jumped into the air, Naruto gathered the chakra into his hand in the form of a ball, while he took one flip in the air before sending his father's technique into his enemy.

_Rasengan!_

He struck the man straight into his head. The power of the Rasengan completely destroyed his skull as its remnants flew into different directions. His blood left its trail on Naruto's face, even closing near to his eyes. The sweat from his forehead dripped down his nose, mixing with the blood that was splattered all over his face and creating an even bigger mess.

The smell of blood that just came from the body always stank, but mixing with a sweat it was even more disgusting.

Not waiting at all for him to recuperate, Ohama girl attacking him, and they engaged in a taijutsu battle.

He had to admit that she was better than her comrades, but still failing to get a direct hit. As he punched her few feet back – she went through few hand signs.

"Ninja Art: Earthworm Hand!" (2)

Her right hand took a shape of one worm and with the speed, he did not know she had, the large worm-hand grabbed him by the neck. It both tried to suffocate him to death, but he also felt pieces of his chakra getting drained as the lower part of the said worm glued onto his skin. Luckily he managed to put his left hand under to his own neck, so he could push it back eventually. But the pressure was too strong.

"Maybe I don't really need an element of a surprise, Senju?" She grinned while holding the hand from which the worm was coming out with the other one.

"Actually..." He groaned while he tried to push the worm away from him. "You still do."

He managed to grab a hold of Nidaime's sword, and turned it on – moving it to slice the worm in half. But the moment before he did it, she released it from her hand.

The body of her strangling weapon dropped to the branch, proceeding to fall further down to the ground below.

His enemy did not waste any time. She jumped onto him, with an intent to hit him with her leg – but he simply leaned backward and stopped her attempt by grabbing the hold of her ankle.

"Wha-"

Naruto circled her in the air once before sending her to fly away towards one of the trees. But she managed to land on the tree. The chakra on her feet helped her hold onto the tree behind her.

As he was about to give her a final knock out, he sensed a foreign chakra invading his body. Naruto took a look at his feet, dozens of large worms started crawling up, on his body. Getting all the way to his knees.

_Cute_. Naruto flared his chakra through his entire body, and the worm illusion dispersed into nothingness.

She tried to land a kick on his head again from her position as she jumped towards him. Her right feet ready to strike him. But as he saw her attack, Naruto took one step back and let her fly past him. But the moment she passed by, so did the kunai she held in her hand, hidden in her long hair.

She attempted to cut his face with it, but just as he grabbed her feet moments ago, he grabbed her by the joint of her hand, immediately cracking it and getting only a scream in pain from her.

Still holding her by her broken hand, Naruto sent her flying towards the giant tree, where she hit the surface area of it, and began falling down to the ground.

_I don't need her dead just yet. _Naruto thought as he jumped forward to catch her, and land her safely to the ground.

"Wh- Why... did you... saved me?" She asked in between frantic breaths once they landed. "You wretched bastard."

He knelt down and whispered gently, moving a strand of her hair that fell on her eyes. "So I could do this." And sent another punch to her face, knocking her unconscious, and perhaps even breaking her nose. As the drops of blood started leaking from it. But he felt no pity or guilt for doing it. Just as he felt nothing for killing her comrades. Relief was a feeling that would be better to describe his current state of mind.

_That is for that filthy worm you tried to strangle me with. _Naruto thought while he rubbed the places around his neck where she grabbed him with it.

He stood up and noticed Kosuke approaching him. "Uncle. I assume your part went without much trouble?" Naruto asked with a smile.

His surrogate uncle did not smile, however. "Indeed it did. Though it is unfortunate that four of them had died, with only two of them I managed to capture." He truly did not enjoy taking a life.

_Neither do I_. But these weren't innocent. Naruto said to himself.

"Better than nothing at least."

Sasuke approached them next. Naruto could see pieces of flames in the distance among the woods. "How did your part went by?"

"It wasn't too hard, they pretty much killed themselves by allowing me to return fire to them." Sasuke said unimpressed.

"So they're dead?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke did not reply with words. He only gave a short nod and cocked his head towards the direction where his battle took place. He also held a scroll in his arm.

Unfortunately. It was another heaven scroll, as Sasuke would tell him.

"Do you want to interrogate them now, Naruto-kun?" Kosuke asked.

Naruto, who by now sat on the ground contemplated a bit. His answer was clear. "We'll take them, prisoner."

Sasuke did not say anything, but Kosuke had something to say. "Naruto-kun..." He spoke in a quiet tone, akin to a whisper. "It is one thing to extract information from them, but if the word gets out we took them into custody, Konoha could face problems from the other villages. You know it well that the others are always looking for an excuse to stir up trouble against us."

"I know it's forbidden to do it, but I have no choice." Naruto pressed on. He had a group of missing-nins after him, and clues on where they _could_ be. Simply letting the three surviving Ame-nins go was an invitation for trouble. Whatever their actual mission regarding him was – he was sure it had something to do with the Kyūbi. No other reason why Amegakure _Genins _would go after him.

"Look." He began once more as the tense silence stretched all around them. "They've signed the consent form that Konoha _would not be_ responsible for whatever happens to them. This forest has plenty of dangerous beasts that could very well eat their dead bodies. If it comes to that, that is. In any other case, their bodies could be destroyed once the necessary information from them was extracted. And Ame, or anyone else for that matter, would have no proof that we had anything to do with their disappearance." Finished Naruto.

Kosuke sighed but gave him a somewhat of a sad smile nonetheless. "I see there is no changing your mind then. Very well, but we should first take the scrolls that they had."

"Right." He summoned three scrolls from the seal on his arm and placed them on the ground. "Can you perhaps do the rest? I have to clean the blood from my face." The two of them had a less bloody fight, as Naruto saw no traces of the enemy blood, like the one that was visible on his face.

_I allowed those Ame-nins to get too close to me._

He stood up and went towards the nearby river, but after the few steps he took, a hand of Kosuke was found on his shoulder.

He did not address him directly, only giving him a few wise lines. "Hiruzen told me about what you discovered about the Akatsuki. I don't know why you did not tell me about it. But know that I will always have your back. No matter what. You don't need to carry everything within yourself. Remember that."

He said nothing for a moment, but in the end, he returned a sincere smile to the man that raised him. "I just didn't want to trouble others with more of my problems. That was the only reason." Aside from Jiraiya, Sandaime and Danzō, no-one else knew that it troubled him to know about the potential location of his hunter's lair, and not being able to do anything about it. The old man apparently decided to tell Kosuke about it. A small part of Naruto was angry at himself for not talking to the man about it earlier. But alas. Nothing could be done now.

"The pursuit of the truth is a noble cause, Naruto-kun. But don't let yourself away from the path of the light. Away from the path of truth." Kosuke said to him, kindly.

"Yeah..." Naruto chuckled. "It would be way too dark for me then."

"Go on and clean yourself, my boy. Me and Sasuke-san will take care of the rest."

Naruto nodded and went on his way. In silence.

As he approached the river, he began splashing water onto his face. Cleaning away the blood from his enemy. As he washed away, a reflection of his bloodied face remained in his head.

But the reflection itself wasn't the reason why his entire body and mind felt troubled by something.

He breathed deeply a few times, before looking at the flowing water again.

The feeling of anxiety was because he felt no guilt at all for killing his enemy this time. And the fact that his anxiety was slowly washed away that he was safer with them either dead or captured.

Maybe he was getting too paranoid after all. So many enemies. So many potential enemies. So many hidden enemies. But he tried to go on as if he was all alone.

"_When you come to me for training or anything else, I will know you're not following their mindset of a shinobi, but the one that is imprinted__ in your blood."_

Those were the words that Danzō said to him the last time they've met. And for the first time since then, Naruto found himself realizing what he truly meant with that. Even if there was resistance within him to that realization.

From Danzō he already learned that having pacifistic ideals will lead to nothing but more troubles whose seed would grow stronger each time than the last.

The sheer merciful attitude throughout the history of his village brought every problem he had now, on his shoulder. A heavy stone on top of his heart. And a heavy knowledge on that he could never rest easy for the rest of his life. If the Akatsuki was defeated, the other villages will continue trying to eliminate him. If the other villages are destroyed, any survivor is bound to seek vengeance on him.

And if not him, then any children he might have someday will inherit his burden. Until nothing is left from either him or his clan.

And it all came from those who were closest to him. In either blood or bond.

...

_Danzō was right._ Naruto said inwardly.

His great-granduncle continuously spared Uchiha Madara, and because of that allowed him to ruin his life on the day of his birth. Senju Hashirama distributed the tailed beasts to the other villages in hopes it would create an ever-lasting peace.

_It just created more wars._

_It killed countless more innocents._

_It placed a burden on him._

And at that moment, Naruto had come to realize why the Kyūbi hated him so much, initially. And why he held a deep distrust towards him the entire time.

His godfather tried looked at beyond the boundaries of the nations, but it was all in vain. For even from the noblest of the ideas, a monster can be born.

He splashed the water over his face one more time. The blood that marked him was gone. And with it, any trace of thought that the conflict can be resolved peacefully, and without bloodshed. Because at the end of the day, the blood of the others could be washed away. His would forever be lost if it was spilled.

_..._

_But what kind of blood did he mean anyway?_ Naruto remembered Danzō saying, mentioning it by the end of their last conversation.

* * *

**Author's note:**

(1) The Ohama clan is just something made-up by me here. There is no such clan in canon or the anime. I have something in mind regarding the Amegakure and the Akatsuki plot in a much earlier timeframe than the one in canon. Starting with some OC characters that will never be seen again.

(2) It's pretty much a version of a Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, but with worms. As I said in note #1, it's just a small piece for a future note.

Now. That would be it for this chapter, thank you for reading it!

This chapter I actually split in two. I believe the ending was fitting. As I did not want to jump into a new plotline and have the next chapter be a "half-prelude for the finals, and a half, the actual finals". And I didn't want to have this chapter way too large either. It's already 16.000 words.

As for the delay of this chapter. I was deleting many things and writing them again and again. I hope it turned out well.

And as for the first part, where the identity of Konan is already known... I have already intended it two chapters back. But the direct action won't be taken just yet. For that, I included something with the Amegakure Genins that I think would present the general attitude of the ninjas from there. One task they were given, but did they tried fulfilling it?

I have also changed the character tags. I think it would be fitting to have Danzō be one of the key characters in regard to his relations to Naruto. He'll still have an occasional presence, but I'll increase it later on.

~HyperboreanRealist


	10. A birthday gift

**Chapter 10: **A birthday gift

**AN: **Apologies for the delay of this chapter, but I had to rewrite it from scratch. The reason was is that I didn't like the way I was implementing Karin to the story and it was getting frustrating and uninspiring to write further. So in the end, I decided to remove her completely from the exams. I have also removed the part about her in the previous chapter. She will appear on a much later date.

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, the Forest of Death, the Tower**

Naruto sat in one of the rooms in the tower where the finals were supposed to be announced. The grey, lifeless walls surrounded him on all sides, reflecting his feelings. His team reached it just fifteen minutes ago. And after dealing with the Chūnin, who appeared from the formula of two different scrolls – Team 7 was officially allowed to pass.

Uncle Kosuke went to his room. Ever since the talk about his apathetic way of dealing with the opponents - _No_. _Enemies. - _he got a bit detached from him.

From their quick talk in the aftermath of the battle, barely any words were spoken between them since then. Neither of them started any conversation. Even though it hurt him a bit, he let it go, as everyone, including him, had their own way of coping with the life of a shinobi. As well as the decision one's comrades would make.

Coping with the fact he had hunters after him, even if he was not a missing-nin.

He began taking off his armor, letting it freely fall down on his bed, easing the pressure on his shoulders and body. Letting his skin breathe with more ease. The gravity seals have been discarded even before the round began, but his body still needed time to adjust to the lack of pressure on it. The chakra was flowing much more actively and densely ever since. All the strength and all the power that accumulated from the pressure was now free.

The white fur had the traces of the blood still left on it, so Naruto decided to put it in a scroll, reminding himself to later wash it away.

He did not even discard all of it, the black tunic beneath it was still on him, as well as the armor on his arms – when his godfather decided to enter the room. Without an announcement or a knock.

"Hey kid. Just heard you passed the round." Jiraiya said with a smile, walking straight in, after closing the door. He proceeded to sit on the chair beside a table that was stationed in the room.

Naruto was not in the best mood now. He just fought a battle with an enemy whose goals were _unknown_ to him by large. And while he felt no guilt for the dead Genins he had killed – he felt as if his mind created more and more heavy thoughts on purpose just to spite him for it.

"I'd appreciate it if you could knock more often, uncle. Just as women don't approve of your invasion of their privacy, I doubt the men do either." Naruto said, running his hand through his greasy hair. "And what are you doing in this tower anyway? I thought you'd have some other things to do with your free time."

He sensed his godfather's presence the moment he was in the range of his sensory ability. Just as he felt the one of Kakashi-sensei. But that of his fellow Jinchūriki as well. Gaara's team passed the second round even before him.

Aside from them, plenty of Chūnin's and maybe even Jōnin's as well – could be seen and sensed in the tower.

"What's got you so gloomy? More so than usual..." Jiraiya questioned, crossing his hands together, with his face being full of curiosity. "And as for me being here..." He began, his mood getting more jolly as he spoke, though his smile didn't reach his ears. "Sensei thought of this as a punishment for creating trouble for you in the first place. You know what I mean."

"The Akatsuki..." Naruto commented, but before he could continue further, Jiraiya spoke again.

"That, and it is better if I supervise this round as well. Having three Jinchūriki with the potential to fight each other is an invitation for trouble as sensei put it. Plus. Other troubles could appear, but fortunately, they have not..."

Naruto hummed. That sounded logical.

"You haven't encountered any serious problem in the forest, right?" The Sannin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Aside from the entirety of the Amegakure's teams that have passed the first round – no." Naruto said, dryly, now laying on the bed and closing his eyes in rest. The cold sheets that covered the pillow and the bed gave a pleasant feel to his skin.

"Wait. Amegakure's teams?" Jiraiya asked back, propelling Naruto to open his eyes and to stare at the grey ceiling above him.

_It seems they aren't the only problem he's expecting._

Naruto rose to sit, staring Jiyaia straight into the eyes. "Is someone else supposed to cause trouble?"

Jiraiya said nothing for a few seconds before releasing a sigh. "You could say that... But it's nothing you should be concerning yourself with..."

_More secrets_. Who else could be the reason for trouble to arise besides him?

"Now tell me about these Ame-nins you fought against." Jiraiya changed the subject. His mood becoming serious.

And so he did. Naruto told him everything. From the moment he saw them in the Academy to the engagement in the forest and how it all ended. The results and the aftermath. And how uncle Kosuke warned him against the 'kidnapping' of three Genins. He even told him about his guilt-free conscience as well.

"Talk about giving you a cold shoulder, huh?" Jiraiya said, but his tone was not judgemental.

"I wouldn't call it that. It was obvious that he was against my decision. But perhaps it's just his way of _voicing_ his disagreement with it."

"He's much like Sarutobi-sensei in his early days I'd say. Too _idealistic._ But where the old man was forced into the role which included him doing things against his ideals, Kosuke always stuck by them. And where Sarutobi-sensei had space to grow in his mindset, Kosuke remained where he was." Jiraiya explained with a distant look in his eyes. "Some stick to their ideals by the end, and some change them as time goes by..."

"I assume you are the former of those two?" Naruto questioned, suspecting the answer already.

"Was." Jiraiya simply stated, turning towards him and looking him directly into the eyes. "I try to stick by them, but even I know there are no ways of following them all the time."

_I wish you knew that twenty years ago. _Naruto did not say it out loud. But he still held a slight grudge against his godfather for potentially _enabling_ the rise of the Akatsuki. "Yeah, I figured it was something along those lines..." Naruto commented instead, smiling a bit, and then pulling a scroll out of his pouch – throwing it towards Jiraiya who grabbed it, taking a good look at it. "You have another three scrolls in it with those three Genins. I don't need to ask that anything you find out is relayed to me? Right?"

"Have I ever hid something important from you?" Jiraiya asked, pretending to be insulted.

_Not even a minute ago you did. _Naruto stared at him impassively, raising his right eyebrow to propel him to talk.

"I get it." Jiraiya said indignantly, turning his head towards the window, looking at the greenery of the forest in the distance. "But sensei's orders are that I have to be silent regarding some _things,_ and I have to follow them, kid."

_So, the Akatsuki isn't the only problem they're expecting_... Naruto deduced in the end. "I just wanted to be certain." He said evadingly – laying on the bed once again, back to staring into the ceiling instead of his godfather's guilt-filled eyes.

Which reminded him...

"I haven't forgotten everything good you did to me." Naruto confessed, smiling half-heartedly with a pang of nostalgia of the days when he was younger, and when burden such as the Akatsuki was unknown. The Sannin deserved to hear those words, and the Senju's conscience wanted to say them anyway. "But promise me you won't do something stupid like you did with those Amegakure orphans." He said as he cocked his head to the right, looking at Jiraiya.

"I promised you I wouldn't die before dealing with the Akatsuki." Jiraiya said, smirking. "And I have no intention of repeating those mistakes. Leaving them to future generations even less." He said with an honest look in his eyes.

Naruto said nothing to that, but a promise was enough to keep him at peace. Despite everything he learned lately – he did not forget that there were people around him who would help him no matter what. And that was enough for now.

"Anyway. I have an offer for you, kid." Jiraiya stated in a serious voice.

A tone of voice that was never wasted on empty words.

"I'm listening." Naruto said as he rose to sit again, turning fully towards Jiraiya, resting his hands on his tights.

"How about the two of us go on a little trip sometimes after the finals?" Jiraiya said, giving him a genuine smile alongside his offer.

"A trip... Of what kind?" Naruto questioned curiously. As a profession bound to their village, even more so than a civilian – ninja's couldn't have a vacation or anything of its kind. Or free travel anywhere without reporting it to the higher-ups of the village. Too risky, and the action itself required a high load of trust between the two sides. A thing that wasn't as common as many believed.

"A training trip." Jiraiya grinned. Now from ear to ear. "I mean to take you out of the village to teach you more about my spy network and how it works. So you can either inherit it one day when I retire, or create your own from scratch."

The offer was tempting even more than it sounded at first glance.

"What about my missions?" Naruto asked. The money he would not get from them due to the trip was not a big deal. He had enough of it to live peacefully for the rest of his days. But a slothful life would result in his mind getting dull and skills getting rusty.

"Oh, we'll do plenty of them as time goes by. What? Did you think I was just walking from town to town gathering info and whoring around?" He feigned being insulted once again.

"Sometimes I did..." He muttered as a smile crept on his face. "Anyway. I accept your offer."

"Don't worry about the missions. The trip will last only a year or so." His godfather said with a cheeky smile. "Maybe less. Depending on how it goes."

They chatted back and forth for some time. From Naruto talking about the first round and the fights that followed with more detail, and to Jiraiya saying how _boring_ it was to monitor any suspicious activity, though he didn't divulge further into that. Only when Naruto was 'promoted to a Jōnin' – would he get a pass to know more.

He was disgruntled by that but understood it in the end. Part of him felt as if neither the old man nor Jiraiya fully trusted him, ever since the revelation about the Ame orphans.

"I should be going before sensei finds out and accuses me of slacking with my duties." Jiraiya said, standing up and stretching for a few times. "Oh, and before I leave, a word of advice: Stay away from Suna's Jinchūriki. I'm sure you've noticed it yourself, but that kid has the trouble written all over him."

"Yeah. His maniac look directed towards me said enough." Naruto said smirking. "Do you think there's more to it than just a lust for a fight?"

Jiraiya stopped at the door, his hand resting on the doorknob, as he was silent. He only looked at Naruto from the corner of his eye, his voice neutral, and professional. "You shouldn't discard that option. Though, I don't think he will do anything stupid for the time being."

_For the time being..._

Naruto could not detect any sort of deception from his voice. But he knew very well that the entire truth was not served on a plate. "Your words and I'll hold you to them."

As the Sannin went to do his duties, Naruto was left alone in the room, still sitting on the bed, and thinking of the conversation he had.

What did he actually fight for? And what did he live for?

To revive his clan? To have a family of his own one day

He once said to Danzō that he fought for the village. For an opportunity for a mother to hold a child in her hands without worry.

But what about him? His child? His mother?

Naruto was deprived of the latter and endangered of having the former.

_My life? _That was the fear he refused to accept of having. A fear that his life could end at any moment.

Thoughts of protecting the village would be all just a bunch of words that the wind of the nightly breeze would flow away, along with it. A wish to revive his clan and to have a family would also be just that – a dream.

All if he was to die. His apathy at the killing of those Genins must have come from that. From the fear that any enemy could be his potential undoing.

Moving his hands onto his face and continuously massaging it, Naruto tried to calm himself down a bit. All those heavy thoughts appeared in front of him as he had nothing else to think about.

_Uncle Kosuke was right... I should have talked to either him or anyone else for that matter._

But for now, he would try to rest. Thinking of any other thing would ease the tension. And any talk regarding his decisions should be put on hold.

* * *

**The Land of Hot Water, a minor inn by the road**

While the Chūnin Exams raged on in Konoha, somewhere in the Land of Fire's northern neighbor, in an inn that was located on the road towards the Uzumaki sea, on the country's eastern shore, two people sat. Waiting for the food to arrive, the two figures sat in silence with hoods over their heads, and a massive, in bandages covered, blade leaning on the table next to the larger one of the two.

Momochi Zabuza has certainly seen better days. Those were common in his life many years ago. Now, he was a missing-nin on the run. Hunted by not only his own village but by shinobis of Konoha as well. Or so he heard from one of his sources in this country – which was swarmed by the shinobis of the Leaf for the past month or so.

In his hand, he held a brown Bingo Book, with a symbol of Iwagakure at the front – a generosity of one of his lackeys. But Zabuza's eyes were fixed on a picture of a blonde boy staring at him, a look that wanted to end him if it was the last thing he did. A well-defined chin and predatory look in the eyes of the twelve-year-old kid.

"Ugh." His toll, Haku, whimpered slightly as he attempted to breathe through his nose, holding the place between his brows in pain. Zabuza could see under the hood the damage that was done to the boy, by a Jinchūriki who was supposedly a _Senju_ no less.

He felt anger and rage build up inside him from the thoughts of the brat who ruined his source of income. For even if the seasoned ANBU's and Kakashi were in that Konoha group back in the Wave – Zabuza felt that the Senju was the most responsible for his primary loss of profit. Gatō was a fool with money. But Zabuza could profit more from him, and thus finance his next revolution.

With the Deamon Brothers now in Konoha's custody, he was left with little to no manpower. Whatever supporters he had – defected to Gengo's group. Only pockets of leeches here and there. And Haku. His most valuable companion.

_Even the missing-nins don't want to be on the top priority of Konoha's hunter-nins..._ Taking part in a ruin of a country that was to be annexed by the Land of Fire, earned him an ire from its main village, and cowardice from many of his subordinates and former allies.

He expected that to happen, but the death of Gatō and swift action taken by Konoha put many of his plans on hold. The dust needed to be settled before he could buy weapons for war. And before he could bribe some Kiri-nins into following him.

"Breath with your mouth for a few more months, Haku." He addressed his subordinate, who slowly nodded at his advice, gulping as the air gathered in his mouth. "At least until we find a medic that could fully fix that." Even if the boy knew some medical ninjutsu, fixing shattered bones in his nose was out of the scope of his abilities.

"I'll try, but it still hurts..." Haku complained as Zabuza lightly scowled. Had the Senju brat did not shatter every bone in Haku's nose, his _tool_ wouldn't be a whimpering pile of cells now. Still useful for all that Zabuza had. Haku was the only thing he _actually had_ at the moment. And Kubikiribōchō – his actual, most useful weapon.

"Yeah... Well, you'll just have to learn to live with it for now." Zabuza said to him. "But at least any clients that we have won't try to harass you due to not being as pretty as before." He said in a dark chuckle.

The boy did not seem too pleased with his comment but did not complain.

_A perfect tool... Damn that blonde brat!_

"What shall we do from now on, Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked quietly, and at that same time, the inn's waitress brought some seafood and _vegetables_ to their table which they previously ordered.

"Here you go." The waitress said with a polite smile, as she placed the plates on the table. "I hope you will enjoy it so much to recommend our inn to any of your friends." She continued smiling, something which made Zabuza's blood boil with hatred. He despised the _vegetables_!

But he didn't want to reveal himself to the public just yet, so he passed everything but the sea-food to Haku, who accepted it without a question. "Here's your money." He said to the woman in a raspy voice, who then left their table.

"It seems that Iwa doesn't know that the Senju has the Wood Release." Zabuza commented, taking off the part of the bandages from his face, letting them hand on his ears. "A bit surprising with how detailed his section in this book is..."

Haku was already eating, albeit slowly, as the pain in his nose still made everything hard on him. "Do you think it was him who had it, sir?"

"Who else?" The disgraced Swordsman of the Mist asked back. "Unless Konoha has more Senju's hiding from the world, it had to be the blonde brat."

"As you say, sir." Haku said, accepting his reasoning.

They continued eating in silence, with a chatter from many other people in the inn being heard as well.

"Welcome to the..." Zabuza heard the stutter from the inn's owner by the door, a welcoming sound, replaced by a fearful silence. He did not lift his head, just eyes, only to see three tall figures standing there, with hoods and long cloaks covering their heads and bodies, and _Kirigakure's hunter-nin masks_ hiding their faces. Their mysterious presence must have told the inn owner that they should not be messed with.

"Shit..." Zabuza muttered and Haku turned his head towards the door as well.

"Do you think they're here for us, Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked, pulling out his needles, but not standing up yet, just as Zabuza did not either.

"Why else..." Zabuza said lowly, his hand steadily moving to the grip of his gigantic blade, but not lifting it just yet. _Why else would the Hunter-nin Division of Kirigakure come all the way here..._

"Leave." A male voice from the ninja who stood in the middle of the three said. It was an authoritative voice of a middle-aged man, a true testament to his abilities as having survived all the way to this day. It sounded _familiar_ as well.

All the civilians fled the inn in an instant, surprisingly quietly and without making a hassle. The inn owner was the first one to leave. _The first one to flee_.

_Seems like this is something akin to a common occurrence in these lands. _They must have known about the types of people that should be avoided.

A long silence stretched through the room. The three Kiri-nins still stood by the door, motionless, while Haku sat the opposite of him.

Again, the man in the middle stepped out forward, addressing him like he would an old friend. "It has been a long time, Zabuza..." He spoke as he removed his hood, revealing a long black hair, and then his mask, showing who really hid behind it.

An indifferent face, with a scar over his left eye, and a sharp beard over his chin.

"Tsurugi. Yagura's most loyal dog!" Zabuza snarled, standing up and pulling the Kubikiribōchō with him, the bandages that hid the blade were discarded as he swung it. And those that he removed from his face were still left hanging by the side of his cheeks. His sharpened teeth were clenched into an angry snarl. The anger that has boiled up in him from reading about the Senju brat, was now directed at the man that stood a few feet in front of him.

Haku instantly jumped over to his side, his needles drawn and ready to be fired at the opposing ninjas, who did not flinch at all. Nor did they had their weapons drawn.

"When you swear an oath of loyalty to the Mizukage, you are obliged to fulfill it until the bitter end, Zabuza. No matter how much you dislike it or are against it." He spoke neutrally.

"And not even when that oath binds you to go against the future of your village!" Zabuza said, the grip on his blade tightening.

"One man's fortune is another's misfortune. And I received neither the latter nor the former." Tsurugi stated neutrally on the surface, but the pride in those words was visible.

Zabuza looked at the man in front of him. A man who served Yagura, even with everything he has done. He wanted to end him like no-one else. But his body language made him stop in his thoughts.

"I assume you are here for something important than just a catch up with your old underling. Aren't you?"

And Zabuza saw the man smile a bit. "Actually, I am here to catch up a bit, Zabuza. Though, if it escalates to something more it will be due to the decision you will make after we're done talking of course. Are you prepared to do it? Neither I nor my men will try anything. You have my word."

Zabuza stood out there, unmoving, his eyes narrowed and the blade ready to slice his former captain in half. But he knew Tsurugi very well. And he _knew_ that Tsurugi _knew_ him very well too.

_He wouldn't come here with just two other men. _Momochi did not know if there were more ninjas with him.

_And Yagura wouldn't send anyone to 'talk' either._

"Then speak why you're here." Zabuza said, impatiently, still not lowering his sword or letting his guard down.

_Tsurugi wouldn't play any of Yagura's treacherous games. The only things he's interested in is order and steel._

"I believe I should start from the beginning then..." Tsurugi said, moving to sit on Haku's place on their table. "Are you going to stand there or are you going to sit as well?" He said, a bit annoyed in his authoritative voice.

"Know that you will be the first one to die if this is some sort of trick, _Tsurugi-sempai_." Zabuza warned sitting down on his seat, his blade still held firm in his hand.

Tsurugi gave a quick snort, but his gaze softened. "You know that if I give my word I would sooner die than walk over it."

"All too well." Zabuza said, bitterly.

"We've been shadowing you two for at least a week already." Tsurugi began, straight to the point. Zabuza was displeased as he heard that.

_He's bluffing. _"Then why didn't you approach me sooner if you just wanted to talk?" The grip was tightened once again, and Zabuza was ready to strike. His former captain, however, did not even pay attention to that. Only looking him with amusement in his eyes.

_What is he thinking..._

The ANBU captain ticked the table with his finger a few times before giving his answer. "That is because we had to contact someone who wanted to see you as well." He continued ticking the table, albeit at a slower rate.

And as Tsurugi said that, the door of the inn opened once again. A person that Zabuza knew even better, entered, surprising the former Kiri-nin.

_"You!" _Zabuza spat out, rising up from his seat. But the willingness to slash someone quickly dispersed, with the grip on his blade finally being released, and the blade falling down on the wooden floor, making a hole in it once it fell down. Any fight against this person would end in his undoing – even with Haku on his side.

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, The Hokage's Tower, 10th October**

Hiruzen exhaled all the smoke from his mouth in the direction of his rival and former friend, Shimura Danzō. A blow of wind around his head dispersed all the smoke, revealing his stern face, with his visible eye narrowed down.

"With how much you smoke, sometimes I wonder how you managed to live to this day, Hiruzen." Danzō said, leaning back on the couch in one of the rooms within the tower. It was a room specifically designated for these types of conversations. But also for the meetings between the elders to decide the actions which would shape the future of the village.

"A specialty of my clan, as you should know by now." Hiruzen replied. "Wisdom comes with age. Though it seems it bypassed you."

Danzō snorted at his words, closing his visible eye and speaking without any worry in the world. "If it wasn't for me, your _wisdom _would have destroyed this village ages ago, old friend. I would say it is the other way around."

Hiruzen stayed silent, staring at Shimura, with disdain in his eyes. "Does that help you sleep at night?" He asked him. There were many things that annoyed him in regards to Danzō. And they all boiled up in him until now.

"Why would I need help, Hiruzen?" Danzō asked, almost with a mocking tone, opening his eye. "Unlike you, _certain_ decisions I have made do not trouble me that much."

Hiruzen hated that tone of his voice. "Ordering the destruction of the Uchiha clan never troubles you?" He asked him with narrowed eyes.

It took him a long time, but in the end, Hiruzen realized how low he has fallen into Danzō's ploy. How he allowed that the antagonism between the clan and the village to grow. All because of his own _prejudice_, and the lack of will to overcome it.

"Doing nothing to prevent the coup in the first place is _your_ _burden_, my old friend." Danzō said, leaning forward and resting his hand on his knee. Speaking evenly, and harshly. "Don't try to pretend that their demise didn't ease the pressure on your shoulders. If you really wanted, you could have talked to Fugaku when there was a time to stop the coup. It seems to me, that you did adopt _certain lessons_ from Tobirama-sama. Though you chose to not act on them for the most part."

Hiruzen's blood started boiling, smoke in his body just adding up to the heat, but he remained composed. Though his voice carried the venom he contained. "I said it before, Shimura, and I'll say again; remember why Tobirama-sensei-" He didn't finish the sentence as Danzō cut him off, raising his voice, but not to the borders of a shout.

"– Why he and Shodai-sama created the village in the first place, and why he chose _you_ as his successor and not _me_." He finished.

"And have you found the answer to those two questions?" Hiruzen asked, and Danzō gave him a sly smile. A smile that he would only show in front of him when they were alone. It was never present on the meetings, whether the official ones with the Feudal Lord or the clan heads. Just when they were alone.

"I knew that ages ago, but it seems you didn't."

The Sandaime's silence propelled Danzō to continue. "You always prided yourself at being the chosen successor of the legendary Senju Tobirama, as the greatest carrier of the _torch_ known as the _Will of Fire_. But tell me this. What have you done to preserve the Senju clan, besides giving Senju Naruto what belonged to him in the first place? Huh?"

"If you want to blame me for the decimation of the Senju's then you found a wrong person for that..." Hriuzen retorted, sternly.

"Uhmm." Shimura hummed. His tone was saying he didn't believe him for a second. "You allowed the clan to be reduced to two members. With only one having the ability to continue it into the future. I wonder what would Shodai-sama and Nidaime-sama say to that? Didn't they created the village in the first place, just so the children of their clan could grow from being children, and not to die as one? Created a village so _their clan_ could prosper as well. You took their words for granted, old friend. Most of the clans prospered from the village. Most. But Senju's did not."

Hiruzen knew the answer, as he was troubled by that for many years.

"But don't worry, I don't blame you for that. Most of them brought their doom on themselves."

"But neither of them would want for the future of their clan to become one of your slaves." Sarutobi spat. The _real_ reason for having this conversation was approaching, but he wanted to put an end to this debate with his rival.

"Have you grown so senile to think I would turn Naruto into one of my emotionless puppets?" He asked back. "You don't know me at all."

"I'd rather not risk it." Yet he still needed him. "And I know you all too well. Don't think I forgot how you tried to snatch Kakashi into your service after Minato died." Danzō may have employed plenty of unethical methods, but Hiruzen knew that the man truly loved the village despite everything.

"Uhmm." He hummed again, ignoring his comment. "_And why Tobirama-sama chose you as his successor and not me?_" Danzō repeated that question, looking at the ceiling of the room they were in. "Image." He only said.

"Image?" Sarutobi asked back.

"Image." Danzō said again. "The day when you were chosen as the Third Hokage, and when I wanted to act as a decoy... I was only thinking of the image I would present in front of our _idol_."

Sarutobi said nothing, only looking Danzō with contemplative eyes.

"My father and grandfather both died in the battle, Hiruzen. My goal was to follow their line, but a part of me had other goals as well..."

"You wanted to become a Hokage one day." Hiruzen stated bluntly. That was not a secret.

"I did." Danzō nodded. "And it took only one wrong decision for me to lose that opportunity. I cared for an image I would present, and that I would leave behind me. That was all I cared for back then. But you..." He paused and the silence stretched between them. "You were completely opposite of me."

"I believe I still am opposite of you, Danzō." Sarutobi stated, folding his hands together beneath his Hokage robes.

"Hm." A smirk crept on Danzō's face, one that was rarely seen. "Then it makes me wonder... When have I became the boy you were back then, and when have you become the boy I was back then? You started caring about the image of a benevolent leader towards the villagers, and I applaud you for fooling them."

Hiruzen growled lightly, but otherwise did not interrupt Shimura as he spoke. He allowed him to speak freely like he always did when only two of them were in the room. For at the end of every conversation, Hiruzen would be the one to come out as a winner.

"But your care for the image you presented for the world could have brought this village to ruins had I didn't push you to follow Tobirama-sama's ideals. The destruction of Kagerō village and their coalition. The destruction of the Uchiha's... Your lack of determination to act by doing certain _unethical_ deeds could have been the end of us."

"The village is still standing, Danzō." Hiruzen said, sternly. "Standing at the top of the Great Five, even with all the misfortunes we had to endure." Destruction of the Kagerō village flashed in front of him, along with the fact that it was Danzō who pushed him to act first before things escalated into a full-blown world war. "You give yourself too much credit for acting behind the shadows."

"I give no credit to myself, Hiruzen." Danzō quickly replied. "I wouldn't have remained in the darkness all these years if those petty things interested me. That is the difference between the two of us. You had determination when you were young, but it somehow... decreased... Diminished, as you grew old. And for that, you always needed me to push you further than those boundaries you set for yourself."

"And yet you take tremendous pride at the actions you pushed me to do." Sarutobi said, lowly. "And your pride at the work from the darkness brought more misery and danger to Konoha than my lack of determination could ever have."

Now Danzō was silent for the time. "You will need to be more specific? The Uchiha's doomed themselves by their own volition."

Still having his face morphed into one of disdain, Hruzen pulled a folder from below the desk and threw it unceremonially onto the table in-between him and Danzō. "The Uchiha's weren't the only one whose fate you sealed."

Without saying a word, his old rival took the folder into his hands. Once he opened it, only one look at the title of the file was enough to erase the previous pride and previous confidence from him. "Yakushi Kabuto..." Narrowing his eye, Danzō looked at Hiruzen suspiciously for a moment before resuming to read the first page of this case.

"That is what I meant when I said you took too much pride in your actions from the darkness. I let you do it in the first place because I knew that some things required... other methods, to being done. Just as I did not touch you when you continued running the ROOT even after my order to disband them. But this is the pride of yours I was talking about. A pride that clouded your line of sight, along with the darkness you surround yourself with. And that in the end resulted in something like this."

A young man that was captured after Naruto defeated another traitor, and his underling – Sabiru. The most dangerous thing when discovering a traitor is when you discover his accomplices. In Kabuto's case, it was his entire team. An idea of a possibility in his brain would appear that there were more of traitors among their ranks.

"Consider this to be your first hearing." Hiruzen said to him, banishing the defeatist thoughts from his head. The case of Yakushi Kabuto, his former student's right-hand man was troublesome. And even more troublesome to know what Orochimaru was planning to _do_ in the finals. "You already know that no-one else is listening to us, so don't feel prevented to say _anything and everything_." He placed his pipe on the table and leaned back on the couch, still looking at Danzō with a stern look in his eyes, just as he was looking back at him.

Sarutobi already made a plan on how to act in the finals in collaboration with Jiraiya. But before he relayed the orders and made his battle plans known, he had to know the full truth from the most dangerous elder. A traitor and an inner enemy was far more dangerous than a foreign one. He knew that Danzō did not betray the village with Orochimaru from the analysis of Kabuto's memories.

_Maybe Kabuto did not know everything... _Listening to Danzō's side of the story would help him form a larger picture of everything.

Wearing an unerupted mask on his face, Danzō dropped the folder he was holding onto the table, with the papers nearly escaping from it. "Where do I begin then?"

Hiruzen raised his right eyebrow in curiosity. "You're not going to read it first?" He asked, just to hear his answer.

"I will tell you everything regarding Yakushi Kabuto that _I_ know." He said with a serious voice. "Reading this report would destroy any defense I could have in this moment."

_A wise move. _"You don't plan on hiding anything?" Sarutobi pressed on.

"It would be an unwise thing to do." Danzō replied, his composure restored, looking at him with his visible eye.

"Then I want to hear everything from the beginning."

* * *

**At the same time, Yakiniku-Q**

Five days have passed since the end of the second round, and the matches for the finals were set. With only three teams passing, the preliminaries were discarded. Three teams, from three different villages, with three Jinchūriki's would fight in the finals.

"I know you dislike celebrating your birthday, Naruto-kun. But I still think that this occasion should be celebrated." Kosuke said while sitting in front of him in one of Konoha's more famous restaurants.

"There isn't much to be celebrated on that day anyway." Naruto said with a sad smile. The anniversary of his parent's death, as well as that of countless other villagers, was not a day for celebration. But Konoha held no official mourning. Naruto was thankful for that.

Kosuke gave a slow nod. "Still. It is not a common occurrence for a rookie to reach the finals of the Chūnin Exams, six months since graduating."

Naruto sincerely smiled, a flow of pride passing through his body. "True, but are you glad you backed off before the matches were announced?" He asked him.

"Indeed I am. I have told myself long ago that I would remain a Genin for the rest of my life and I intend to keep that promise." Kosuke said. His words were full of conviction that Naruto did not bother correcting him. "It is time for your, younger, generation to take place. But be sure to not make the same mistakes as me. For now, we celebrate your passing to the finals."

"I guess it's okay then... Though, knowing I'm to fight against a psychopath in the first match doesn't sound like a cause for celebration either." He said in a light mood.

"I'm sure you'll do well against him." Kosuke simply said. "Say... You seemed a bit distanced ever since the fight in the forest. Is everything alright, Naruto-kun?" He asked with a concerned voice.

Senju waved it off. The conversation he wanted to have, initially, was at the end of his head now. His mind constantly drifted onto the upcoming fight he was to have against Gaara.

The Suna's Jinchūriki did not hide his excitement at the prospect of having to fight against him. And it made Naruto puzzled at why he was like that. Being a bit detached or unstable was not to be surprising as Gaara was a Jinchūriki. But his maniacal grin would forever remain imprinted inside his head.

_I could have ended up like him..._

"Naruto-kun?" Kosuke said, waking him from his musings.

"Oh... Sorry, I got a bit lost in my thoughts." He said with a shaky smile. But Kosuke did not seem convinced. "Really. I'm not angry or anything, but I wanted to ask you that. You seemed a bit detached ever since that fight back in the forest."

He did not talk to him much even while they were in that tower. Naruto spent most of his time in his room. Reading some scroll in regards to Fūinjutsu, or talking to Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke.

Kosuke sighed. "I thought you wanted some free space from the outside pressure, so I wanted to avoid annoying you with my advice."

"You wouldn't annoy me." Naruto quickly said. The words escaped his mouth like never before. He felt almost insulted for his surrogate uncle thinking that. "But yeah, I wanted some free space, so much that I thought even you wished to have the same. I mean... I did go against your ideals back there..." He said with an apologetic look in his eyes.

"You didn't go against them, Naruto-kun. You simply followed your own ideals when you made the decision to take those Genins prisoner." He said in a quiet tone. The restaurant wasn't filled with people just yet. But it was going in that direction. An evening was approaching and more people would fill the space in no time.

"My ideals?" Naruto asked him. He wasn't sure _what_ his ideals actually were. The Will of Fire? A survival?

"Your ideals." Kosuke nodded. "Even when you were much younger, back in the days when I started being your caretaker, I noticed a certain, _rebellious_, spirit in you. You would listen to what I told you from my own perspective, just as Hiruzen and Jiraiya-kun did. But you would always take it with a grain of salt."

_I did._

"It wasn't until I saw how you wanted to deal with those Genins in the forest that I realized how similar you are to your ancestor. The pressure from the Akatsuki has its role as well, in shaping your worldview that is."

"In what way?" Naruto asked warily.

"At first, both Hiruzen and I were worried you would become too antagonistic towards the villagers as the result of your interactions with them..."

"That was on them – not me." He said right away.

"Of course not." Kosuke smiled as he replied. "You never went that way... But ever since you returned from your mission from Uzushiogakure, and when I was placed on your team – we have noticed you becoming much more _paranoid_ as the time went by. The looming shadow of the Akatsuki is responsible for that, as I said."

"And you think I'm similar to my great-grandfather in that regard..." Naruto said, understanding what he wanted to say. Senju Tobirama was a paranoid man. Naruto knew that even better as he read many of his notes in his secret library.

"Indeed." Kosuke nodded. "As he was pressured from the enemies of his clan back in the Warring States Period, so are you now. As he was worried about the survival of his clan, so are you for your own life and the future of the Senju name."

Naruto remained silent as he digested his words. _I haven't gotten a compliment like that in a long time. _He smiled as he thought it inwardly.

"It's certainly not a bad thing to be similar to him, as I already know you must have had access to his writings." Kosuke said, seeing his reaction. "But be careful with how you thread in the future, Naruto-kun. I won't be here forever to pull you back if you fall too deep."

"Why are you talking like you're about to die tomorrow?" Naruto asked, annoyed.

"You never know." Kosuke smiled as he stood up to leave. "I have some errands I need to finish, Naruto-kun. See you tomorrow when our training should begin again."

He evaded answering directly, but Naruto let it go. Jiraiya hid some things, and now Kosuke did too.

"Yeah... See you tomorrow." He said before the silence stretched between them. _Let them have their secrets. And I'll have mine._

As he sat there in the restaurant, alone – baring the other people in the large establishment, Naruto thought back at the conversation he had. And even further to the match, he was to have in the finals.

He knew nothing of Gaara's skills, but he could guess that the auburn-haired boy was not a person to be played with. All the other opponents he fought until now were – predictable at best. And that was a problem with Gaara. He was _unpredictable_.

That much Naruto could see from the two times he saw him.

A maniacal grin directed at him didn't sit right. There were plenty of people who wanted to fight someone else, but no-one emanated such an aura. An aura of hate – when doing so.

If he hated him for the clan name he carried, it was even more foolish and out of place. Despite all of his faults, Senju Hashirama did not sell the One-Tail to Sunagakure. They captured it themselves.

But his chakra on the other hand... Naruto could feel it was intertwined with his bijū closely. No balance existed in Gaara's chakra pathway system – like it did in Naruto's. Their chakra was barely segregated at all. Only by a tiny puddle was Gaara's own chakra more present.

But as Gaara's unhealthy gaze lingered onto Naruto, so did the feel of his chakra.

_"I wonder if that's how villager's of Konoha felt about the presence of you and your hatred directed towards them." _Naruto said to the fox.

_**"Shukaku and that brat are completely unlike me." **_He growled in a bored manner.**_ "I'd wager there's more to their interest in you than just horny lust to fight."_**

_"Their?" _Naruto repeated. _"Now that you mentioned it... Do you think the One-Tail, or Shukaku as you call him, has taken complete control of Gaara's body?"_ Naruto appeared in front of the Kyūbi, looking directly into his eyes, gouging his answer.

_**"Doubt it."**_ The fox only said, looking at the iron bars in front of him, while ignoring Naruto's physical presence at that very moment. **_"Not even Shukaku is that stupid. He most likely got some sort of emotional control over that kid. Or the village that imprisoned him is filled with idiots who could not know about the control if there was one."_**

_"Perhaps they are that stupid..." _Naruto muttered to himself. A change in character could be one indication of that. But Gaara was supposedly unstable since he was a child. Yet it presented a question of why he did not escape if he actually had control.

As the question appeared in front of Naruto, he realized the answer right away. _"Suna captured him in the first place... Shukaku must know that as well. Hence why he's probably content at the position he's in currently."_

_**"Well..."**_ The Kyūbi let the word hang in the air for a time. _**"That one always had a dark sense of humor in him. I wouldn't be surprised if he was just content at screwing with that brat in his head."**_

_"Lucky me that you don't have that sort of entertainment." _Naruto said dryly, getting a low chuckle from the fox.

Naruto thought about it more and more, but his musings were interrupted by a conversation on the other side of the wall. On the outside.

"So you're saying that only Kakashi's boys passed to the finals?" One person said while passing by.

"Yeah. The Senju kid and the last Uchiha. The Eternal Genin backed off before the finals." The one with the rougher voice answered. Naruto did not peek through the window to see their faces. Only their words interested him.

"As expected... Though, I hoped that Guy's team would pass. I wanted to see the Hyūga prodigy fight as well."

"About that..."

"Huh?"

"Apparently, he got his right arm and leg broken in the forest. Generosity of the Kumogakure ninjas he picked to fight against in the forest..."

"Damn..."

Naruto did not hear anything else, as the two men went too far for his ears to hear. What happened to Hyūga Neji?

The Senju did not know him personally, but his prickly face was famous in the village. As well as his antagonism towards the main branch of his clan.

Once he drank the rest of the juice, Naruto stood up to leave. But before he left his table, he heard a commotion on one side of the restaurant. Female chattering approaching the section of the building where he was.

"I hope there's a free seat in this part." The plump waitress said while leading another person. Naruto saw that it was a Jōnin-sensei of the Kumogakure team, Mabui.

As she appeared in the passage leading to the part of the building he was at, Mabui momentarily saw him, as a look of surprise appeared on her face. But a look of surprise that said she _didn't_ want to see him. As her brows furrowed together slightly once she did.

"It seems there's not a single table here either. My apologies, miss." The waitress said in a sorry tone. Naruto turned his head around to see that the other seats were filled as well.

"She can share a table with me." Naruto said to the waitress, offering a small smile as he did. A large grin would make him look foolish and would possibly _scare_ the woman away. A few heads looked at his direction. No doubt wondering why he was being generous to a foreigner. A foreigner from Kumogakure of all places.

The plump waitress turned towards Mabui, not saying anything, only waiting for her to answer. Mabui had an unsure look on her face as she gave her reply.

"I wouldn't bother you with my presence, Naruto-san." Of course she knew his name. "I can come some other time."

"Nonsense." He quickly said. Raising his voice above his normal tone. "I wanted to share a dinner with someone anyway." His words said that no-one else would be there at that moment.

Naruto wasn't expecting anyone, and he wasn't planning on staying anymore either. But the presence of the Kumo woman who must have known something about him, before the truth was revealed was an opportunity he would not miss to investigate.

"Well." She said, allowing a small smile to morph in her face. "If you don't mind." She said as she sat down.

Her clothes were the same as the day he first saw her coming into Konoha a few months back. A revealing uniform that some Kumo kunoichi opted to wear, with hotpants showing her thick tights. He avoided lingering his eyes on them. Better to not send her away with a strange spark in his eyes. But her body language even with that clothes. Just as her voice sounded sweet to his ears.

"Okay then. What can I get you two?" The waitress asked with a happy smile, taking a notebook into her hands.

"I was thinking of the grilled meat." Naruto said, getting more relaxed as he spoke.

"Likewise." Mabui nodded with a polite smile.

As the waitress left to bring them their food, Mabui spoke first, in order to fill the silence and remove the awkwardness between them. "Is there some sort of tradition in Konoha to invite strangers to dinner?" Her voice sounded kind and pure to Naruto. Yet also very mature.

"Not as far as I'm aware." Naruto said. "Is there some sort of tradition in Kumogakure to accept a dinner invitation from a stranger?"

She said nothing before she smiled again. "Not as far as I'm aware of it."

"I guess there's a first time for everything." He said with a smile of his own. "I don't believe I got your name while we're at it, miss..."

"Mabui." She said, tilting her head down in respect. "The daughter of Blue B of Kumogakure. Pleasure to meet you."

_Is it normal that she's open about the fact her father was a Jinchūriki? _Naruto learned that fact the day he first saw her. "The previous Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails..." He said, showing he was familiar with the history of her village, with the history of her _family. _And that was the reason he invited her to the table in the first place. To find out how she knew about him in the first place. "Senju Naruto, as you already know." He gave his introduction, though he did not need to do it.

It was after all, strange to see Kumogakure participating in the exams Konoha was hosting for the first time in forty years or so. The reemergence of his clan must have played a certain role in that, somehow. He was sure of it.

"I guess history books would say that much about him..." She muttered with a downcast look before the previous glimmer returned to her green eyes. "But tell me something about yourself Naruto-san. _You_ invited me to sit with you, after all."

Naruto scratched his head under the hair as he thought about his answer. "I think you know everything about me that should be known, even some things that should have been a _secret_."

She gave him something akin to an apologetic smile. "You're referring to the tenant you have." She said without expecting an answer. "It did come to everyone as a surprise when the information was leaked. Sometimes I wonder about Tsuchikage-sama's reaction, given the fact he was the one to reveal your identity to the world."

"But he must have to get it from somewhere, no?" He asked back.

Mabui still kept a smile on her face, and in Naruto's opinion, it suited her much more than a blank or a stern look many other women had. "You're referring to the fact when I was the first time in your village, and when we saw each other for the first time."

He only nodded.

Mabui did not take it as an insult, as she spoke in an amused voice. "It wasn't me or my village who revealed it, Naruto-san-" Before she finished her explanation, a waitress returned with their food.

"Here you go, miss." She said as she placed a plate with food in front of Mabui. "And this is for you, sweetie." She said to Naruto in a seductive voice.

"Thanks." He looked at the steak in front of him, shaped in the form of a heart. _Again_. He then looked at the waitress who already left their table, but before she left, a wink was sent towards him.

"I take this is something akin to a common occurrence to you?" Mabui asked with an amused tone, seeing the delivery of the food herself.

"Sometimes." Naruto muttered. He didn't know what to think about the affections of the plump waitress who eyed him fondly whenever he came to the restaurant. "A result of Tsuchikage's revelation."

Mabui's gaze softened. "It's certainly better than being ostracized. Isn't it?"

"It is... Are Jinchūriki's ostracized in Kumogakure?" He asked after a quick prayer for the food. Just as Mabui did.

"Depends on the tailed beast that Jinchūriki has." She said with a sad look in her eyes, as she ate her food.

At his silence, Mabui continued talking. "Due to being rather, _wild_." She paused. "The Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails is usually the one who receives that treatment. And sometimes it can be transferred even to their descendants..."

"Has it... Ever happened to you?" Naruto asked. "I mean, the ostracization."

Mabui nodded, moving the strand of her hair behind her ear that fell down her face previously. "Early on, but it faded out with time."

"But some things can't be forgotten, can they?" Naruto said as Mabui nodded once again. "But let's leave that behind us. You didn't tell me how did you manage to recognize me for who I actually was?"

She dropped her sour mood as well. "I met your father once in person. Your resemblance to him is uncanny. I wonder why the people in your village didn't see it sooner."

"People didn't want to see it for the most part. And those who did – probably kept silent about it. But tell me, how did you meet my father in the first place? I didn't know you were old enough to know him at the time."

A sweet giggle escaped her before she spoke. "I'm twenty-six years old, Naruto-san. And I was Genin during the Third War. Your late father met my team during one of our missions – and he left without harming any of us. Seeing him so close in person made it impossible for me to realize you were his son the moment I saw you." She said, taking the food from her plate.

Her voice was laced with fondness as she spoke more of his father. And her eyes had a nostalgic glimmer in them. They talked about him for some time, eating their food along the way.

"I see..." Naruto said to all that. His father could leave that impression on the enemy side from what he was told by Jiraiya many times.

"Are you preparing for your match with the son of Kazekage?" She inquired, changing the subject.

"Every day." He lied. He took a week after the second round to do nothing but relax his mind and body. Relax from all the pressure he was under lately. Luckily it worked.

"Are you worried perhaps?" Naruto saw her giving him something akin to a compassionate look.

"Worried about the fight?" She nodded. "Yes and no." He said.

"Gaara-san does seem a bit unstable." She said, contemplatively.

"A bit?" Now he had to laugh. "I don't even know why Suna sent him to represent them in these exams. The Chūnin is required to have a cool head – and Gaara seems _everything_ but _that_."

He said nothing more, as that notion still circled in his head. Why would they send him to these exams? Jinchūriki or not. Powerful or not. The goal of the Chūnin Exams was to lure clients to increase the number of missions a village would receive, and along with it – money. Prestige played its role as well. Not passing to the finals was probably better than to have a ninja embarrass the village in front of the nobility and clients.

"Stories about the unstable son of the Yondaime Kazekage have been circling around in Kumogakure for years." Mabui said, waking him from his musings. "I was surprised to learn that Suna signed him in. From what I know, he isn't on the best terms with his father."

"Indeed he is not." Naruto said. "Even if he was the one who made him a Jinchūriki in the first place."

"He was." Mabui nodded, but then gave him a look that said she wanted to say something to him.

...

"Is there something wrong, Mabui-san?" Naruto asked her.

She looked at the remaining food on her plate. Biting her lip, she spoke. "I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do this, but." Her gaze softened as she moved her hand behind her back, slightly stretching forward with her breasts having more place to shine in front of Naruto's eyes.

The Senju averted the gaze quickly, he was not used to staring at the women cleavage.

Mabui placed a small envelope on the tabled, passing it to Naruto.

"What is this?" He took the envelope into his hands but otherwise did not open it.

"A return of the favor." She said, kindly. Naruto raised his eyebrow, propelling her to continue. "As I already told you – your father spared me and my team many years ago. And as he is not with us, unfortunately, I would like to repay that favor to his son."

He began opening the letter, with the first page of a few sheets of paper that were stuck together having Gaara's profile.

"Didn't you say that you heard only stories about him?" Naruto asked, wary of the information.

"Well." Mabui said, still having a smile on her face. "Plenty of stories did circle around, and the Raikage-sama gave me this information just in case he was signed in for the exams as your village and Suna are allies."

"I see." He wasn't fully convinced. "But won't this put you in a bad spot with your Kage if he found out?" Naruto said in a hushed tone, before turning around to see that no-one was overhearing their conversation. Everyone else in the restaurant was engulfed in to their own meals or their own talks.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him or harm me." He couldn't see any sort of deception in her. Her body language was relaxed. Perhaps the sound of her sweet voice clouded his judgment, too. He rarely received any sort of affection or a gift from the fairer sex.

"Then I thank you for it." He said with a genuine smile as he could muster.

"Think of it as a birthday gift, if you'd like."

Naruto's first instinct was to say he doesn't celebrate it, but Mabui's generous gift was too good to ruin such a moment. "Thank you." He said once more.

Mabui smiled in content. "I think I should be going. My Genins must be wondering where I was all this time." She pulled a wallet from her pouch, intending to pay the food for herself.

"Oh. Don't worry about that. It's my birthday after all." Naruto quickly dismissed her action. He invited her to his table after all.

"In that case, I should be thanking you for the lovely dinner, Naruto-san. Until the next time." Mabui said, bowing down slightly in respect.

"Until the next time." He replied as well.

As Naruto watched her leave, his blue eyes followed the movement of Mabui's legs. High heels and hotpants. Revealing clothes and generous gift. All of that made a strange feeling to morph in his chests and stomach.

_Were her tights always that ample in size?_

His eyes weren't the only pair who were watching them, as many other men in the restaurant did as well. Well, those that didn't have a female companion with them, eyed her legs.

Looking at the small papers in his hands with the information regarding Gaara, Naruto saw that he even had a _bloodline_.

_Magnet Release. Sand manipulation. That can cause trouble. _Magnet Release and the sand manipulation could have been expected as his father was said to possess the same ability. Already he could imagine the sand being stuck in his eyes and every part of his body.

He remembered reading that the Jinchūriki's of Iwagakure. Legendary Han and Roshi could use the bloodline they had gained from their respective tailed beasts.

_**"Even I could have told you that." **_The Kyūbi commented.

_"Then why didn't you?"_

_**"You never asked." **_He simply replied.

_"At least I know Mabui wasn't lying or trying to trick me then." _Repay of the debt, or no. She was from a foreign, and on plenty occasions, hostile village. Time was needed to build trust between them. And in the existence of both Kumo and Konoha, no such thing was built. If anything, any sort of opportunity for that caused the relations between the two to deteriorate even more.

In Naruto's case, the approach towards Kumogakure should be disdainful as it can get. Both his grandfather and great-grandfather died as a result of the fight against them.

Yet even with those things in mind, he didn't see Mabui as a hostile person. Or a distrustful one. Perhaps honor exists even in her village even if many in Konoha, including him, refused to see it on broad daylight.

_**"It seems your mind says no, but your worm says yes."**_ The Kyūbi said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

_"Fuck you." _Naruto knew what he meant in an instant. Perhaps he thought that way due to a lack of the older female figure in his life.

Whatever the case was, he returned to finish his food, while the Kyūbi continued to poke him occasionally with his 'wise' thoughts.

_"Can Shukaku give his Jinchūriki ability of Magnet Release?" _Naruto asked the fox. Though he knew the answer already.

_**"He has it himself, so it is obvious since the brat has it." **_The fox said with barely any interest in his voice.

_"Say, what is your ability then? The one you can pass to me."_ The Kyūbi said nothing to his question. _"Come on, it has to be something powerful like you are." _He tried to gouge the answer from him, speaking with half-snickering voice. But the fox was obviously not very keen on answering it.

_**"You're already using it to some degree." **_Now it was Naruto's turn to be silent as the fox spoke in a growling tone. _**"I call it, Negative Emotions Sensing."**_ (1)

* * *

Konoha's cemetery was a silent, yet elegant place. The grass was trimmed and everything seemed clean. The Academy students did a good job of managing the place. Naruto recalled his Academy days when his class was tasked with cleaning the cemetery.

Located on the edge of the village, and constantly having ANBU guards at night patrolling the place, the cemetery was not very large in space. It was large in value. Heroes of Konoha from the previous wars have been buried here. Including his parents. Their graves were located in the first row. Both beside each other.

Before being allowed to enter, Naruto had to talk to the guards. There were approximately five of them.

_One ANBU team._

His birthday was not a day to celebrate but to mourn. Mourn for the countless villagers that died on that day. During the day, he avoided going to the Cemetary. Better for him not to cross someone who lost a person dear to them in that attack during their time of grieving. For years he did not take abuse from others. And he wouldn't do that today or in the future.

Naruto placed a bucket of flowers near the tombstones of his parents' graves and remained standing there for some time. This year was the first time he came to the cemetery on the anniversary. Every other year he would stay at home and there mourn in peace. He didn't want to meet other people on that day beside the graves of their loved ones.

In grief, people tend to make irrational mistakes.

He wondered if they would be proud of the man he was becoming. _Things would be easier if either of them was here. _He had people close to him, but none of his own blood.

Just like the other bodies in the cemetery weren't of their blood. An idea to build a shrine to them, as well as to the rest of his clan has come to mind.

"It's hard to believe that thirteen years have passed since that day." Voice of the Sandaime Hokage spoke as he walked slowly towards him.

"Sometimes I'm happy that I wasn't in a position to realize it back then." Naruto replied with a sigh.

Hiruzen hummed as he stood to his right. "It happened – may it never repeat again." They stood there in comfortable silence. Only the sound of the night, owls, and the occasional distant voice from the center of the village was heard.

"Why did you came this late?" Naruto asked him. He thought he would be the only one here, besides the guards of course.

"I came to visit my Biwako. She is buried here as well. Besides my niece." Naruto's eyes widened as he heard that. But the old man did not look resentful at that moment. Instead, he wore a sad smile on his face. The same smile he had on him as he turned towards Naruto. "Don't fret yourself, my boy. I'm not like many others in that regard."

"Sorry." Naruto said, ruffling his hair in annoyance. "I've been drowned in my own thoughts that I forgot you lost wife on this day."

"Don't blame yourself for anyone's death on that day, Naruto-kun. Some things are just meant to happen."

_Their death wasn't supposed to happen. _Naruto knelt down and began clearing the dust off the stones that has gathered over time. "Indeed they are." He wondered why he was never told from the old man's mouth that his birth was interrupted by a third party.

"I came here because of you as well. You know you can talk to me anytime you have a problem." Sarutobi said, addressing Naruto with both kindness and seriousness.

Because he still saw him as a child.

Naruto dismissed his concern. "I have already dealt with it, so no need to worry."

Sarutobi sighed. "Starting to get reclusive again, aren't you?"

"A temporary phase at best." He said with a shy smile.

"Then I'm not sure if I'm supposed to give you this..." He pulled a scroll from his robes, holding it towards Naruto. "The result of the investigation of memories from those three Genins has arrived."

That made Naruto interested right away. "And?" He asked as the silence stretched between them. A feeling that they were in their grasp appeared in both his body and chakra.

"Read it once you get home. You have a detailed report stored in there. But it is only a confirmation of what we already know."

"So when are we going to act against them?" Naruto asked. The anticipation that was built up in him allowed that question to escape from his mouth like nothing.

The Sandaime's eyebrows rose up as his gaze fell upon the monument to the Will of Fire. A monument that looked at the graves of its followers. Eternally guarding them. "Not for a long time I'm afraid. We have other things to deal with first. Those can come later."

_So there is something important they are hiding_... "What things exactly?" He asked slowly. Hoping the answer would finally be delivered.

But the old man did not give the answer. As he spoke one thing after the other. "It's best if we talk in my office. The leaves cannot always be trusted, even if they grew from our roots." He said in a low tone while placing his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I have a mission for you."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

(1) As I was researching, I found out that Uzumaki Mito could use that technique, even if she never gained control of Kurama's chakra. Considering the seal Minato placed onto Naruto. The one where the chakra of the tailed beast can be passed onto its jailor. It is logical for me that, that Kurama's particular ability could be passed onto Naruto, even if he never realized it, or how to use it.

First things first, I would like to thank everyone who is reading this story and supporting me along the way. And I would like to apologize once again for the delay as after I discarded Karin's plotline, I got to another writer's block that is hopefully gone from now on.

Second. I have some things planned for Mabui and plot with Kumogakure, so I would just like to say that this is **NOT** a romance-orientated story. As for why she helped him, and why he received information regarding Gaara from her first and not from Konoha. It will be explained in future chapters.

I initially had one fighting scene with Gaara, but as it was going nowhere, I postponed it for the next chapter, and any inspiration I had for it. I also did not write the usual Hokage speech after preliminaries as it got too tiring to do so. For that, the rest of the match set-ups will be shown in the next chapter.

The next chapter is the Chūnin Exams. I have already alerted many things with Kabuto's capture. I hope not to mess things up with it. The matches will also be shown in the next chapter.

After the Chūnin Exams, I will go back and try to improve previous chapters as much as I can. Grammar, dialogue and to correct any inconsistencies and mistakes. Including in this chapter and the next one.

~HyperboreanRealist


	11. Konoha Crush

**Chapter 11: **Konoha "Crush"

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, The Hokage's Tower, 31th October**

The room within the Hokage's Tower, designated to host the foreign Kages, was neither a large nor a small place. It was neither imposing nor too welcoming. A simple room, like all the others within the tower with amber red walls. The only thing that differed from the rest was the expensive furniture that was placed in the middle of it, for any foreign dignitary to feel comfortable.

Five couches. Each were of the same size, and each had their own color that was reserved for a specific Kage who would visit, even if such a visit did not occur in nearly twenty years.

On one side of the wall, pictures of all Konohagakure's Hokages hung proudly, watching over the center of the room where one table for drinks and couches for sitting were placed.

And on those couches, the three men that were hailed as the strongest, not only in their respective villages, but of the Elemental Nations as well – sat, chatting on various things and laughing as a few old war pals. Behind all of them stood their bodyguards in addition to the Jōnin-sensei of the finalist team from their village.

Baki of Sunagakure stood firmly in the middle of the other two Kazekage's guards, whose names Kakashi did not know. Baki's stature showed everyone how the military man should behave. Arms folded together behind his back, contrary to the other two guards who had them hidden beneath their robes. And his half-covered face morphed into a stern look, focused on the table in front of the three Kage's.

The Raikage's guards were the complete opposite of the Suna group. The laid back Darui looked like he wanted to fall asleep right then and there, while the big-chested blonde woman, Samui, stood with her arms crossed showcasing her generous cleavage, and with a frown on her face.

_Well... Naruto was right when he described her breasts... _Kakashi mused inwardly while having bored look on the outside. Similarly to that of Darui.

Behind Samui and Darui, a Jōnin-sensei of the Kumogakure team stood – Mabui. She was in turn the opposite of the other two. A blank face, hands folded together in front of her, and posture firm. _Dutiful_. Kakashi heard the stories she was actually the Raikage's secretary as well, but he did not know why she was placed to lead a team to these exams.

The Hatake man was told by his student, Naruto, about the talk he had with the said beauty. And about the generous _gift_ she gave him. While Naruto's tone was neutral like it was on many other occasions, Kakashi could sense a foreign sense of fondness that was not present in Naruto in the past. Kakashi realized that his student probably had a slight crush on the Kumo woman. But that was expected of the boy his age.

Kakashi knew that Naruto had read Jiraiya's books at least _once_. So the pervy streak should not be foreign to the boy. Along with the lustful thoughts that came with his age. A certain amount of familiarity with such a woman should pave the way to those thoughts in any case.

The other two Hokage's guards, Raidō and Genma stood firmly behind their leader, with Kakashi a bit behind them.

"...Is this the largest gathering of the Kages since the second Kage summit or what?" The Raikage asked in his raspy voice while having a satisfied smile on his face, and leaning back to his couch as he said it.

"I believe it is, Raikage-dono." The Sandaime said in a kind and proud manner. "Not even the peace talks of the third war gathered the leaders together. I am certainly proud to host the exams that brought the opportunity for this gathering."

"Indeed you should be, Hokage." Kakashi noticed the man omitting the title, but the Sandaime paid no attention to that. The Raikage was a proud man who most likely believed himself to be above the other two. "A shame that Ōnoki is not here. I'd wager that the man must be dying from curiosity, if not of the old age."

"I have to agree with that, Raikage-dono." Rasa said with a fake smile on his face. His voice betrayed his true feelings more than he would like. "Ōnoki-dono doesn't know what chance he's missing. But I'm more interested in Hokage-dono telling us how he had the greatest _star_ of these exams hidden all these years." He addressed the Sandaime as he spoke. A pointless attempt to gouge out inaccessible information.

"Not everything can be hidden from the world, especially such an _exotic_ information in regards to Naruto-kun, Kazekage-dono." The Sandaime said bluntly, smiling and acting unperturbed. But Kakashi understood what he meant to say beneath those words. It was a dangerous reply, but Rasa seemed to not have taken notice of it.

"Yes, yes." The Raikage nodded, a giant grin apparent on his face, as he turned to the Hokage. "I was surprised to hear the news of the boy's existence, but I'm nonetheless happy that Minato had a son before he died."

_I wonder why..._

"We all are, Raikage-dono." The Sandaime said with a nod. "Naruto-kun grew not only to be a great shinobi, but a great man as well. Just as Minato was."

"It is strange to me that Ōnoki did not attempt to somehow use this opportunity to see the boy himself... He did, after all, reveal his identity to the world." Rasa said in a monotone voice, his gaze moving between the other Kage's.

_In other words – he refused to be a part of your invasion. _Kakashi thought inwardly. _If the offer was ever on the table. _A pang of relief passed through his body. Though he was told that there was a chance that one of the Stone Daimyō's guards was actually a spy for Iwa.

_Perhaps they have learned their lesson from the past wars._

"Who knows what that man thinks..." The Raikage said with a shrug. "All I know is that he's missing an opportunity to see the boy himself."

_While you're able to._

Kakashi momentarily thought that Kumogakure might be part of the invasion, but analyzing the speech pattern from both Rasa and A, no such connection could be made.

Rasa seemed tense from time to time, whereas the Raikage emanated a carefree attitude. Completely unaware of the plot behind the outer appearances.

"We received no message from him ever since the peace agreement. It seems that he decided to curb his warmongering behavior as he got old." The Hokage said with a small smile.

"Perhaps he did." Rasa said evadingly, leaning back on his couch. "It is better for all of us. But tell me what is going on with the Mist? Strange reports came to me saying that Yagura is dead, but no other news arrived."

Again, his eyes flickered from the Sarutobi to A, back and forth.

"Same here." The Raikage gruffed in a displeased manner, shaking a cup of sake in his hand left and right. "I know not the name of the new Mizukage or the strength..."

"It seems we are all in the same boat regarding that village." Sarutobi said. "They are in a tougher lockdown than they were during Yagura's reign."

"Or Amegakure for that matter." Rasa commented.

"Indeed. I'm glad I'm not in their camp, considering the participants this year. The future of both the Senju and the Uchiha clan. It is once in a lifetime gathering." The Raikage said with an excited smirk. He seemed to have come here just to see Naruto.

Kakashi turned his one-eyed gaze towards the rest of the Kumogakure group for a moment. But Darui and Samui remained the same as they were. Mabui on the other hand, did not hide a slight frown from her face as she stared at one point behind the Raikage's back.

_Interesting... _Kakashi mused. _Could it be that she likes Naruto? _A perverted thought came to his mind, of his student in the arms of such beauty. He fought a giggle from escaping his mouth. Better not to have all the eyes turned on him. And embarrass his village along the way.

Naruto did tell him though, that Mabui met his father before. Perhaps her affection passed onto the son?

Yet for all her good intentions, Kakashi couldn't bring himself to trust any of them.

He fought against Iwagakure in the last war. And even lost his best friend against them. But the distrust towards Iwagakure was the least present in Kakashi's mind.

As the natural enemies, the enmity from their side was expected. A passive enemy was far more dangerous than the one you never knew when to expect an attack.

And that is what Kumogakure was to Konoha. Because in the case of Iwa, they always had an incident that diplomatic talks couldn't heal.

"Have you heard about this new village that is being formed in the Land of Rice Paddies?" The Raikage asked, his gaze moving from Kazekage to Hokage back-and-forth.

"Indeed we have." Sarutobi said, scuffling in his seat to get more comfortable. "Though we have no idea _why_ they decided to form it out of nowhere." The question came genuinely curious on the surface. Even if he knew the answer already.

"I was hoping they would at least send some Genins to participate. No better way to see their strength than in the exams." The Raikage admitted with a shrug. While Rasa eyed both of them suspiciously.

The Kazekage remained silent, his eyes not looking at either of the other two.

It was a question that Kakashi wondered as well. If the reports from Kabuto's interrogation said anything, it was that Orochimaru planned to involve his new village in these exams as much as he could. Along with the subsequent invasion.

_But_...

He did not. No Genins were sent to participate.

_And most importantly_.

There were no signs of Orochimaru, either during the previous rounds or _now_.

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, The Arena, 1st November**

"I don't think I ever saw so many people in one place before." Sasuke said, looking up from their position in the middle of the Arena.

"Indeed." Naruto slowly nodded as he stood right next to him. Dressed in a pitch-black tunic, with his grey armor donned on his body. Arms crossed together, while bandages were tied on both of his hands, all the way to his elbows. Clean, white wolf's fur was resting on his shoulders, and he was sure that it would be useful for what was to come.

It may be November, but even the early winter knew how to be hot in the Land of Fire. Chakra flowing through his body took care of that issue. Just as it did for the other Chūnin's and Jōnin's of his village. Otherwise, they would all melt in the scorching summers.

Not far from them, teams of Kumo and Suna stood evenly distanced from each other.

The Arena was filled with both the people from Konoha and the outside, with the latter being mostly the rich nobles of both the Land of Fire and the foreign nations. All coming here to witness the bi-annual spectacle of young ninjas fighting each other for their own amusement. Not knowing what was to come.

Naruto could sense a few chakra signatures that belonged to the people he knew. But not of his classmates. They had their tasks to do as well. Evacuating the civilians who were in the village among many things. The streets couldn't be empty. Just as the arena couldn't be empty either.

But he could not sense the chakra of people that were closest to him.

Uncle Kosuke and Kakashi-sensei were somewhere else. Knowing the fate of the former and uncertainty of the latter made Naruto remember the conversation he had with the old man on his birthday.

But he cried his tears already. He just hoped he would not need to cry more of them.

**===Flashback===**

_"Why?" Naruto asked, looking at Sarutobi directly into his eyes, who did not waver even for a second, piercing back through him._

_"For the safety of the village." Was the simple reply._

_After meeting him at the cemetery, Naruto was invited to the Hokage's Tower by the Sandaime to discuss some things. And while Naruto expected it to be something out of paramount importance to the village, he did not expect it to be on those scales._

_A new village called 'Otogakure no Sato' was formed, and by none other than Orochimaru, former shinobi of Konoha._

_He allied his new village with Suna, a supposed ally of Konoha to crush the latter in the joint invasion during the final stage of the Chūnin Exams when they would not expect it. Or so they hoped._

_His plan was discovered only because Naruto was a little more curious when he made another traitor Sabiru reveal himself._

_"You discovered his plans from Sabiru?" He asked, getting back to the start of their conversation. Remembering the rouge-nin, also made him curious about what actually happened to him in the end._

_"Not quite." Hiruzen said with a smile. "Only because you made him reveal himself did we discover his actual superior in the village that acted under Orochimaru's orders. And that's how we found out about his invasion plans."_

_"But why do you want me to join a team and go and flood a few villages?" That was something he did not understand. And that was his mission, though he felt there were more to come with the information he received just now._

_"Two villages that lie by the Toshio river to the west and one village that is placed by the Akari river to the north, are also located in the direction through which the invasion forces will definitely pass. Countless villages have suffered when the invasion was commenced in the past three wars, and I have no intention of letting more suffer in, what I want, just to be a small and one-time invasion." Sarutobi explained with a firm tone. "In fact, only one exists on that road to the North as people have left the other ones in the previous wars."_

_"But wouldn't it be better if you just evacuated them?" Naruto asked. Seeing how Yoshikata and his son Yūsuke lived made Naruto believe that the average commoner of the countryside should be exposed and suffer from the shinobi battles, as much as ninjas of the Benisu Islands were involved in the World Wars._

_Destroying their livelihoods was nearly as bad as them getting caught in a crossfire during the wars._

_But then it clicked him. "You... want them to reach Konoha?" He asked slowly with a skeptical look. _

_Hiruzen nodded gravely. "It is better if they reach all the way here." Naruto continued looking at him in silence. "If we deal with them here, beneath our walls, the entire war might come to an end instantly. If I stop the exams now, it might draw the other villages to join the fray, and then we'll really have a world war."_

_Naruto knew that the old man was right. And the new war against the other two villages would have Konoha fight on two fronts simultaneously._

_"It is prudent that both Oto and Suna do not back off as they invade before we deal a striking blow to their alliance, but it is also a must that the civilian casualties from the outside are nonexistent or at the very least, minimal. The villagers will simply be relocated to the sanctuaries in the hills. Or the other camps that are made for situations in case of a natural catastrophe."_

_He had to smile hearing that. "The natural catastrophe that we are going to create."_

_"Exactly." The old man smiled in return. "The team you'll be part of was the one I created specifically for these types of missions. The team leader, Karasawa-san should explain to you your part in three days when your mission should begin. Don't worry, it won't take more than a week to finish the task at hand."_

_He could do that. Not that much could change in relation to his fight with Gaara. There was nothing new except for his already existing skills that could help him beat. His Water affinity should be enough if his calculations were correct._

_"But why are you certain that they will go in that direction? What if they decide to pass by a populous town and decide to raze it along the way?" Naruto asked._

_"They won't." Sarutobi said firmly, closing his eyes and explaining. "We found out about the invasion route from the Sabiru's superior, Kabuto. It is too late for them to change their plans now if they are going with the invasion. Our borders are more than just rivers, mountains, and lines on various maps. Places through which they plan to pass are the one Orochimaru suggested to them. The one where the defenses are the weakest, and the route through which they could best hide their travels, even if they would need to eliminate the civilians along the way. An entire town is a much bigger fish to fry."_

_Naruto remained silent as he listened. He wasn't a captain or a general. The old man must have thought about this for a long time. But there was another thing that troubled him as he looked at the table in front of him, in nothing in particular._

_"Something troubles you, Naruto-kun?" The old man asked._

_Naruto's eyes moved towards the Sandaime, meeting his gaze."What about Gaara?" He asked directly the most important question at the moment. Surely, the enemy jinchūriki would have a larger role than a simple match against him._

_Sarutobi sighed, remaining silent for a moment before speaking up, but not before pulling a scroll from beneath his desk. "I was going to give you this the day after the end of the second round, but from what Jiraiya and Kosuke have told me, I let you have a little time to rest." He tossed the scroll towards him, which Naruto caught, opening it up and proceeding to read what was written inside._

_Similar things to what Mabui gave him, if not identical. But there was a technique that was written in one part of the scroll. One that he saw for the first time, but one that would help him immensely. Not only against Gaara, but possibly against other jinchūriki's, if it ever came to the point he would fight against them for survival._

_"You will need to knock him down as he is the key to their invasion." _

_Naruto stayed silent as he listened to what Hokage said. But his blue eyes were focused on the old man as he spoke further._

_"We need to capture him alive, his siblings as well." The old man said as he proceeded to explain the necessity of the situation._

_The Sand siblings would be Konoha's hostages to keep Suna out of the war in case Konoha's resources should be directed to fight Orochimaru. But as Naruto listened to the Hokage's explanation, he felt once again that he hadn't been told everything. _

_The moment of truth came closer to him when he was told that Gaara should go berserk in a match either against him or Sasuke. But he wasn't told the reason why Sasuke was important here._

_"Was I purposely set to fight against Gaara in the first match?" He asked slowly, distrust in his voice was showing._

_Sarutobi did not avert his gaze, opting to remain silent for a time. "You were." He said in the end with a sigh._

_"So when were you planning to tell me that? In case you haven't read this report, Gaara is not some random shinobi I am to beat, but a vanguard of the invasion." He asked indignantly, an anger boiling up in him. He hated being left in a dark or being manipulated. Both at the same time._

_"I was going to tell you that, but I did not want to place more pressure on you. I know you've been under a lot of stress lately, Naruto-kun. But believe me when I say that your mental health is just as important to me as it is to you. Along with your physical health."_

_True. He was under a lot of stress lately, but who wouldn't be in his place. Though his life had many happy and peaceful moments, the past few months haven't been kind to him. From his failed mission at Wave to the pursuit of the Akatsuki._

_"Still..." He wouldn't let this matter go easily. "I hope you don't do that in the future. You know I have always listened to you. The least you can give me was trust!" Naruto said to him._

_He was hurt being kept in the dark._

_Maybe he should listen to what his godfather told him and hire a hooker. Or he should just relieve himself by his own hand. A pair of large mounds he had a dinner with today certainly left much to the imagination._

_Sarutobi nodded. "There are some things that need to be kept out of the eyes of the public." He said slowly. "But anything regarding you – you will be told, Naruto-kun."_

_Naruto nodded gratefully, but a distrust was still inside him. "Then I accept your mission, Hokage-sama." He said formally before adding more. "Both missions." It was not a time to vent out his frustrations._

_Sarutobi smiled in gratitude, but his smile turned into a bitter one as he spoke the following words. "There is one more thing I wanted to discuss with you, Naruto-kun."_

_Naruto raised his right eyebrow, but said nothing, waiting for the old man to speak. "It is concerning our... common acquaintance – Shimura Danzō." He said with narrowed eyes._

_Naruto did not show any signs of a surprise there, but he felt that whatever he has done, or whatever he talked with the Darkness of the Shinobi, was neither treasonous nor something that would put him in trouble._

**=== End of Flashback===**

The rest of the conversation remained clouded in Naruto's mind while he stood in the middle of the arena. Hundreds of voices from the spectators mixed together created a barrier for his mind to focus on. And the conversation regarding Danzō was at the end of his head right now. Excitement must be brewing inside them. They had no idea what was coming.

He fulfilled the task that was required of him. Joining a team of selected shinobi gave a sense of understanding to Naruto at why the old man kept some things hidden from him. The members of his team did not even know why they were required to destroy the livelihood of those villagers back then but did their task without complaints. Or questions.

Naruto suspected that the team leader, Karasawa Genba, knew all the details, but was ordered to remain silent because of the other members of the team. He was a bald middle-aged man with brown mustaches and a scar over his left eye, which was always closed.

Naruto found the team leader a decent person. He neither scorned him for the Nine-Tails, nor did he showered him with praise, hoping that one day, when the Senju clan was rebuilt – he would be in good graces with them. A professional through and through.

Naruto's mission was to locate the additional underground sources of water on the rocky grounds near those three villages where the new source of the river would be made, but in the meantime would destroy the crops for the time being, once the village was flooded.

_All for the sake of appearances._

Naruto did the task that was required of him and realized in the meantime why the old man chose him for that mission. Not everyone had a strong affinity for water to sense where the underground source of water could be located. And while he could select someone else, someone more experienced for the task, the young Senju was grateful it was him who was chosen.

_Giving me a mission of paramount importance was his way of telling me how important my fight against Gaara really was._

He still held a slight grudge for being left in the dark, but he pushed it away from his thoughts. As now he had more important things to deal with.

Looking towards Gaara, Naruto saw him standing with his siblings, though a bit separated from them. His back was slightly hunched. No doubt from the weight of that gourd on his back and all the sand he carried with him. But his eyes were focused on the Kage's booth above the stands of the noblemen below them.

_And his way of saying he was sorry for manipulating me._

Naruto then looked onto Sasuke, who had his eyes closed, with his hands in the pockets of his black shorts. He seemed calm, even though he knew what was at stake here, as he too, had his own task to do.

Sasuke was to fight against the red-haired Kumo girl, Karui, but that fight would never come to be. And Sasuke knew that well.

As the seconds turned to minutes, so did the sound of the excited audience grew louder and louder. Naruto wondered how many people were cheering for him. Or how many people were betting on him. Perhaps he should have done that as well.

"Alright everyone, listen up." A Konoha Jōnin with eyeglasses and dark spiky hair spoke with a loud voice and a smile on his face, as he appeared in the middle of the stadium. Yamashiro Aoba, Naruto remembered. One of Kakashi-sensei's friends, albeit a bit older.

All the Genins turned their attention towards him, the loud sound of the audience was being subdued as well.

"Welcome to the bi-annual Chūnin Selection Exams hosted by Konohagakure no Sato and our esteemed Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen..." The clapping of the noblemen and cheers of the audience was heard in the instant. And Naruto wondered if the old man enjoyed being praised by the people at that moment.

Aoba continued explaining the rules of the fights and introducing himself. Killing was allowed, but if he saw that match was over, then he, as a proctor could stop it immediately and declare a winner. Those who go against the rules, or his word, would be disqualified.

Naruto did not doubt that Aoba knew about the invasion as well. Just as many other Jōnin's and Chūnin's of Konoha knew. In fact, many of them were currently on the walls of the village or in the forests outside. Waiting for the enemy to arrive, so they could send their souls to the Pure Land.

"For those of you who don't know it by now, the following matches are:

Match number one: Senju Naruto versus Gaara of Sunagakure.

Match number two: Nii Yugito versus Kankurō of Sunagakure.

Match number three: Uchiha Sasuke versus Karui of Kumogakure.

And match number four: Temari of Sunagakure versus Omoi of Kumogakure."

Aoba listed, before continuing. "Except for Senju Naruto and Gaara of Sunagakure, the rest of you wait in the finalist stands up there." He pointed out.

"Good luck." Sasuke said to him with a confident smirk before he started walking away. Sounds of the audience slowly started taking over the entire arena as the other finalist began leaving the stadium. It was a pleasant sound to his ears.

"Thanks." Naruto said in a whisper, just enough so Sasuke could hear him say it, looking the Uchiha's back as he walked further and further towards the finalist stands. He did not turn back or acknowledge his gratitude.

Naruto sighed good-naturedly at that. He wondered what Sasuke thought of today's war-to-be.

_Knowing him, he's probably excited at the prospect of a fight._

* * *

**In the finalist stands**

Just as they all stood far apart from each other in the middle of the arena a few moments ago, so did they stood in the finalist stands as Sasuke observed the other finalists.

Suna siblings stood by the wall, and they looked nervous and unsure of the fight that is about to happen. He would have to keep a close eye on them. As they were his _targets_. To capture of course.

Sasuke was told of the invasion that was about to happen a week before the finals, in a meeting with both Kakashi and the Sandaime. Being given a task at the same time, it was prudent of him to be involved.

_But_...

He was also told that he was a target of a former Konoha shinobi, the Sannin Orochimaru.

A target to become his new body in order for the Sannin to acquire his Sharingan. The Sandaime was detailed in the dangers and consequences of becoming involved with his former student.

The one thought that lounged in Sasuke's mind was the one that his clan would definitely die out if he ever went with the rouge Sannin. Not that he would. For Sasuke never considered himself as a traitor. Itachi was the Uchiha traitor after all... And Sasuke told himself he would _not_ follow in his footsteps.

Looking down at Naruto, he wondered how his teammate would face in this battle, for he had the hardest task of all. But he also wondered if the fight has already started on the outside of the village's walls.

Despite not feeling much connection to the wider village and its population, Sasuke loathed to see it turn into the bloodbath that happened in his clan. The moment he thought about it, his grip on the railings of the finalist lounge tightened.

"When are they going to start!?" Sasuke heard the girl he was supposed to fight against complain loudly to her teammates. "They've been staring at each other for how long? Five minutes?"

Sasuke glanced at their group from the corners of his eyes. The three of them stood in the middle between him and the Sand siblings.

Jinchūriki girl, Yugito, smiled as she spoke. "You really don't want them to go all out, Karui. Better that they just eye each other for now."

"True." The other dark-skinned boy, Omoi, spoke. As he pulled out his lollypop from his mouth. "Just imagine if one of them loses control over their bijū. Everyone in this arena could possibly die, and we as well. Perhaps not even B-sensei would be able to calm them down."

He spoke one thing after another as if the end of the world came closer and closer. Though, the tone of his voice was low and linear. Even the Sand siblings looked at him from the side, worried and unsure expressions still echoed on their faces.

Almost oblivious to Genins of their rival villages, Karui scolded her teammate. "Just shut up and stop being so paranoid." Then she said in a bored tone."I just want them to begin already." She looked at him from the side, a faint blush appearing in her cheeks, though, Sasuke ignored her.

_At least Konoha is not the only one who has the fangirls..._

As he watched the still figures of the two Jinchūriki's, Sasuke noticed that they were finally about to start the fight, as the cork on Gaara's gourd was sent flying into the distance, and sand slowly emerge from it like lava from a volcano.

But Naruto remained still, unmoving in his place, while more and more of Gaara's sand emerged from his gourd. If he was told before seeing it with his own eyes, Sasuke would not have believed that an entire beach could be stored in such a small object.

_He must be creating a new sand from his own chakra. _Flaring up his Sharingan, Sasuke could see traces of Gaara's chakra spontaneously spread in the massive sand, holding it in the air.

_Naruto will have his hands full with that._

* * *

Unlike the wild and mad look that Gaara had previously, now he was composed, as Naruto watched him from his position in the arena.

Aoba has long declared the match to begin, but neither Naruto or Gaara moved from their positions.

Only stares were exchanged, and Naruto struggled more to understand Gaara's personality from that exchange than make a move and attack.

Gaara's eyes screamed hatred, even though his body was silent. His feelings on the other hand... were much more complex. Sadness, hatred, anguish, and even joy emanated from him.

_**"You're welcome." **_The Kyūbi said in his head.

_"Somehow, I think I'd be happier if I could not sense his emotions."_ Naruto said in a laughing tone to the fox. He was in fact thankful that he was given the ability to sense the negative emotions from other people. It could be very useful in the _future_.

_**"Know that if you lose to Shukaku's brat, I will renegade any deal I have with you, and I'll do everything I can to leave this prison!" **_He snarled to him in the end, though, Naruto could hear pieces of enjoyment in his voice.

Looking at Gaara, Naruto still saw that murderous look of his hidden behind a bored facade.

_I could have been like him._

Naruto repeated those words in his head, taking that moment to thank the gods for not becoming like that.

_The wait was over, and his real nature comes to light now. _He realized why the jinchūriki of the One-Tails acted the way he did before. Gaara was excited at the prospect of killing him.

_What did they fill his head with... _Naruto wondered.

That could be one of the explanations for Gaara's behavior.

A cork from his gourd was suddenly sent flying away, but Naruto did not move an inch, nor did he bother drawing any sort of weapons.

Sand emerged above Gaara, shadowing him, and part of the terrain around, but he still did not sent any attack. The sounds of the audience talking has long been subdued, as they all watched the match in front of them in silence.

Naruto moved his right leg over the surface of the ground back, a small dust following in his wake from the sides of his feet.

Gaara said something under his breath, but as he was too far away from him, Naruto could only read from the movement of his lips.

_Existence..._

That was the word Naruto was sure that Gaara said, but he did not have time to dwell on that thought, as the floating sand was finally sent flying towards him. Like a tsunami charging to wipe out a coastal town, the sand charged at him, but Naruto simply jumped backward, holding himself against the wall that stood behind him.

But Gaara did not wait a second longer, as a few spikes emerged from the sand that laid on the ground where Naruto previously stood.

Even though he stood even further than he did previously, the sound of Gaara's monotone, but hoarse voice was now heard.

"Sand Spikes!" He outstretched his hand towards him.

Naruto leaped leftwards with his speed evading Suna-nin's attack. As he landed on the ground by the wall on the other side of the arena, he turned back, seeing at that moment how Gaara's sand spears clashed with the wall where he stood. No damage was made, as his opponent must have noticed him evading the attack.

_He's trying to conserve his chakra._

A new attack from the sand charged towards him, but instead of going to the left again, Naruto returned to his previous position, holding himself by the wall. Gaara left plenty of the sand by that place before he sent another attack. But that was what Naruto wanted.

Going through the sequence of hand signs, Naruto gathered chakra in his stomach and exhaled from his mouth a long flow of water, hoping to make some of the sand heavy and thus useless.

_Water Release: Water Bullet Technique!_

But as the flow of water from his mouth was about to turn Gaara's sand into its heavier version, the sand itself scattered left and right, quickly rising into the air, while the water simply clashed with the ground, creating a minor lake. Or better said, a large pond.

Naruto raised his eyebrow at the quick movement of sand, which directly charged at him. However, he managed to evade it in the last second, jumping to his right with all the speed he could muster.

The moment he landed, he heard the sound of Gaara's sand clashing with the wall. This time, leaving a rather large crack in its construction, with some of the broken rocks from the wall being made, dropping to the ground one by one as the sand retreated back towards Gaara.

_He went for a direct kill there. _Naruto thought as he stood up and watched as Gaara's sand from all sides returned to its owner.

"Do you take me for a fool, Senju Naruto?" Gaara's monotone voice rose up as he mentioned his name. He wasn't even fully turned towards him, only looking at him from the corner of his eye, but being faced up towards the direction where Naruto moved after his first attack. "Did you think I would be an easy opponent you could defeat without much work?"

Naruto did not answer right away, as he waited and watched the sand gather around Gaara, but he left some of it close to Naruto. The Senju still had the traces of the water he previously used on his mouth. Wiping it aside, he answered.

"The same can be said about you. It'll take more than just a random mindless charge to take me off guard."

Mindless charges of the sand wouldn't be enough to beat someone of the Senju blood. But Naruto felt slightly uncomfortable at saying that loudly with all the people present in the arena.

_But it will tire you eventually, if you don't run away from your chakra, Gaara. _Naruto knew that maintaining all that sand could be more of a burden than a gift. And Gaara did not look like someone who was in good physical shape to last too long. Unless Shukaku somehow gives him the strength to continue.

Gaara did not say anything else, but the sand that was close to Naruto quickly rose up from the ground and was sent flying towards him.

_Needle Jizō. _Naruto thought as he went through a quick sequence of hand signs, with the white fur from his shoulders enveloping him in a protective hug from head to toes, but leaving just enough space for his hands to move with more ease inside. He couldn't see anything outside of it. The sand clashed with the steeled fur, but the defense did not waver.

But the sand continued attacking and attacking. Failing to break through each time. No sand could be raised from the hard ground.

_Go on, you bastard. Waste your chakra and your strength._

And while Gaara continued attacking, and even pressuring his steeled fur with the sand from all sides - inside his protective dome-made-of-fur, Naruto went for another sequence of hand signs. But instead of his body, he focused on the water outside. Water in the _air_ itself.

_Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!_ He still couldn't see anything, but water itself began leaking into his protective dome from the air, getting the earth wet. He still focused on gathering the water from the air, sending it all the way forward in the direction of Gaara where he sensed his location was. But he eventually stopped, as the sand attacks have long ceased to clash with his steeled fur.

The attack itself was something akin to a tsunami.

_Release. _The protective fur retreated to its normal size, and Naruto got a full view of the terrain around him, as well as his enemy. The field was covered with dozens of minor ponds with wet sand leaking from it. Gaara on the other hand, was flying on some sort of sand-cloud in the air.

"You can fly?" He asked incredulously. But whether Gaara heard him or not, he did not answer. He only looked at Naruto in contempt, exchanging the looks between him and the mud that was previously his sand.

"As you wish." Naruto muttered under his breath, summoning four shurikens from the seal on his bandage-covered arm and sending them flying towards Gaara.

Suna Jinchūriki did not move or react, except for the constant floating of his sand cloud up and down in the air. But the point of Naruto's attack was not to hit him anyway.

The sand around Gaara formed a protective wall around him, absorbing the four shurikens in it at first, but after two seconds sending them back towards Naruto at greater speed then Senju sent them in the first place.

Pulling out a kunai from his pouch, Naruto deflected three of them, except for one, which he grabbed with the end of his kunai through the little hole in it, letting it circle before its movement quelled. This time, he sent only that shuriken towards Gaara, but in the mids of it, Naruto multiplied it by twenty.

_Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!_

And again, Gaara's sand appeared to protect him from his attack, but Naruto noticed that there was more of it gathered around him this time.

The shurikens were stuck in the sand wall, but as Gaara was about to send them flying back to Naruto once again, the shurikens exploded, creating a large ball of smoke in the air where Gaara floated on his sand-cloud.

_Great Shuriken Clone Explosion! _Naruto thought as he channeled his chakra into those shuriken clones, his hands placed in a Tiger sign. And the attack succeeded. A cloud of smoke enveloped Gaara as he flew in the air. But at the same time, five sand bullets flew towards Naruto.

Naruto didn't jump away, as the bullets weren't particularly fast – he only moved a step away, thinking of letting them go past by him. But at the moment as the bullets flew by him, they exploded, with some of the sand getting into his eyes.

_How did I not see this coming... _Naruto thought bitterly, as he rubbed his eyes, cleaning it from any tiny grouses of sand that stuck in them.

And that was all that Gaara needed. As he landed on the ground, he sent some of his remaining sand towards Naruto, intending to crush him like he did before.

_Fuck._

Naruto jumped into the air, while his eyes were still red, teary, and itching with annoyance, but the sand followed. And as it was about to grab him, Naruto went through a few hand signs, focusing on gathering the wind in his hands.

_Wind Release: Gale Palm_!

The wind was sent from his hands towards the sand, pushing it away, and even dispersing some of it. But it also pushed Naruto away on the other side of the arena, particularly onto the middle section of the arena wall, one that was faced towards the north.

The crowd cheered in support, and he had to smile at that.

Gaara stood in the middle of the arena but did not pursue his attack further. Instead, he stood calmly, gathering his remaining sand around himself, and forming a ball-like protection around himself.

Naruto took that time to massage his eyes a bit, and his eyesight became blurred for a moment before it returned to normal.

He focused his gaze on Gaara, who still hid himself in his protective dome.

As Naruto focused on his sensory ability, he noticed that more and more demonic chakra, Shukaku's chakra was present in the Gaara, although at a slow pace.

_So he's finally planning to transform. _Naruto mused inwardly. He momentarily went for the counter-attack.

As Gaara continued gathering more of Shukaku's chakra, Naruto went through a quick sequence of hand signs, gathering the water chakra in his stomach.

_Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique_! A massive water dragon emerged from the place where he stood and was sent flying towards Gaara and his protection. But once it clashed with it, it dispered into regular water.

_He must be strengthening it as much as he can. _The sand protection got darker, as if it was turned into earth.

"Let's see if it will protect you from this." Naruto said quietly, as he went through another sequence of hand signs, the ones that were meant to summon a far stronger attack.

_Water Release: Water Severing Wave!_ Naruto said in his mind, once he clapped his hands together, sending a far stronger and devastating attack than he did the first time from his mouth. He fired the high-pressure steam from his mouth five times – each time striking Gaara's protection and blowing it away.

The final sixth time, Naruto fired a weaker attack that hit Gaara on his right shoulder. His painful scream was heard through the entire arena.

And as the sand shattered onto the ground, and as Gaara struggled to stand still, covering the wound on his shoulder with his other hand, panting heavily – Naruto took that moment to finish the fight.

Appearing in front of him, Naruto punched Gaara in the face, but as he did, he felt something cracking up like a porcelain, and it was not a bone. _What is he... _Something akin to a black abyss stared at him from the hole in Gaara's cheek, but Naruto did not dare to dwell too much on it.

He made two shadow clones to hold Gaara, while he placed a seal on him. The sand did not even bother attacking him or preventing his movements.

As the clones held Gaara up, with one of them kicking the gourd away, while the other removed the white scarf and the upper part of his black suit – revealing the seal he never saw before but read much about. It was red in color and in a form of the kanji for 'love', the same as that of the tattoo that Gaara had on his forehead. It was a two-element seal, one that could keep Shukaku at bay, if the user wanted it to. (1)

"Five Elements Seal!" Naruto said as he slammed his hand onto Gaara's stomach, getting another cry in anguish from the auburn-haired jinchūriki before he was rendered unconscious. The two of his clones still held him in their arms.

The Fūinjutsu which he used was a gift from the old man on his birthday. But Naruto figured it was another one in line of his apologies. Not that he complained, it did its job.

Aoba landed near them, inspecting Gaara's pulse while Naruto took a few steps back. After a few seconds or so, Aoba stood firm, facing him. "Good work." He simply said, before turning towards the audience.

"The first match of the Chūnin Selection Exams is over. The winner is Senju Naruto." Aoba said as the crowd erupted into a wave of cheers.

Two ANBU took that chance to appear near him. Cat and Eagle, Naruto remembered.

"We'll take it over from here on, Naruto-san." Cat said to him. "Good work."

He said nothing, only giving a smile in return. And they disappeared right away, taking Gaara with themselves.

Aoba spoke again to the roaring crowd. "We'll have a five-minute pause before we move onto the next match."

Naruto snorted hearing that his own match did not last that long. But he mused that Aoba did that for the sake of the entire operation.

"Go on then, kid. And do the rest of your mission." Aoba turned to him.

"Right away." Naruto said as he body-flickered away in a combination of leaves and water.

Not to the finalist stands, but onto the hidden part of the audience stands, behind all the people that were currently engaging in whatever conversations they had.

He focused on emanating the chakra on the wide section of the arena. From the Kage's booth, across the stands to the place where the other finalists stood.

It was better for the remaining civilians who weren't evacuated and the noblemen from the other nations, to be as clueless as they could get. And not to run amok mindlessly. Spreading panic as well.

_Temple of Nirvana technique! _

And the white feathers started falling down and putting the innocents to a long nap.

If they hadn't fallen during his match, then it was up to him to keep the appearances.

* * *

**Kage's booth**

"That water technique should have drained him to a near exhaustion." Samui commented quietly as she stood behind him. The Raikage couldn't help but agree as he watched.

"And he doesn't seem fazed at all by that." He only said, not even blinking as he didn't want to miss the show. The fight moved fast, though not as fast as his own battles with Minato. But looking at his son and the way he evades Gaara's attacks, he couldn't help but compare the two.

Though, the boy still had much to train to reach his father's level. At least he fought with his brain.

And the fight was soon over. Once the sand was useless, the Suna boy was practically crippled.

And as the Yondaime Raikage thought about that, a real wound was given to the son of the Kazekage. Along with a strange seal he never saw before, but one that made a strange and uncomfortable feeling to appear in his gut.

It ended the fight pretty much.

_So as that report said... Wind and Water affinities... A large chakra reserves..._

The two ANBU's appeared to take the other jinchūriki away. But the Raikage did not focus his mind on that.

_He's fast, and he obviously has a slight talent with fūinjutsu..._

He could become a dangerous enemy one day. But his abilities were the testament of his blood. And that is what intrigued him the most. The Raikage did not see any hand-to-hand combat in the fight, but he did not doubt that boy was adept in it.

_I wonder what else he knows..._

"What is the meaning of this, Hokage-dono?" Kazekage said, clenching his teeth in anger, his eyebrows furrowed together in displeasure. "Where are your ANBU's taking my son?"

"Only to the hospital so he could be given a medical treatment. The last attack Naruto-kun gave him was from one of the strongest techniques of our esteemed Nidaime Hokage. The things could turn ugly if he does not receive an aid." Sarutobi said, smiling with each word he spoke. "Everything will be alright. I assure you."

"In any case, I wish to see him immediately." He rose up from his seat, still wearing a mask of anger.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that." Sarutobi said, rising from his seat as well. Though his voice wasn't angry or harsh.

The Raikage followed the suit and stood up as well.

"I have every right to see him and make sure he's alright," Rasa replied in a snarl. "Given his status, you should be aware of."

"Hmm." The Sandaime hummed, folding his hands together behind his back. "I really should. Just as you should have told us that, and warned us of his unstable mind."

_So they knew as well... But Mabui was truthful when she reported to me... _The Raikage mused inwardly.

"He may be a bit detached, but he is of the stable mind, I assure you."

Sarutobi snorted. "We all love to tell lies to ourselves. To deceive ourselves, but also to console ourselves. To make the reality more pleasing." His smile then turned into a neutral frown. "I ask you once again to sit down, and leave my shinobi to _heal_ your son, Kazekage-dono."

"And based on what do you think you have a right to _order me_ around!?" Rasa snarled once again, his eyes shooting a murderous look towards the Sandaime Hokage.

"Have those two gone insane?" Samui asked Darui, who was completely serious now. None of his laid-back attitude was present as he stared at the other two Kage's.

"I really don't know." Darui said.

The Raikage knew very well that the Suna budged was cut almost in half by their Daimyō. And that he passed many missions that would usually be given to Sunagakure to Konoha.

_That must be the cause of their argument. Though, why haven't they talk about it before..._

As Raikage though about the other reason for the antagonistic talk in front of him, white feathers started falling down, among the three Kage's and their bodyguards.

"Based on the fact that the game is over." The Sandaime said, his tone now fully neutral. And his two guards almost ready to attack. The white feathers around the six of them dispersed.

"Genjutsu." The Raikage said in a raspy voice, flaring his chakra and blowing off the feathers away from him.

"Game?" Rasa had a fake smile on his face. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Hokage-dono?"

"Oh," Sarutobi said, faking a surprise, and then releasing a short chuckle. "I'm sure you do."

And then the gold sand from Rasa's Kage robes started flowing out, charging towards the Sandaime, and in turn, towards him as well.

* * *

"Feathers." Temari said, looking at the entire arena as they covered it while falling down.

"That's the signal. But what should we do when they took Gaara away?" Kankurō said, looking at her with a frown on his face.

"I don't know, Kankurō. We should go and ask Baki-sensei." He only nodded, but as they were about to jump over the railings of the stand, Temari saw black and red eyes. Three tomoe circling around, and it paralyzed her completely.

_Sharingan. _

Temari quickly returned to her senses, but once she turned back, she saw her brother standing still. And Uchiha Sasuke holding a kunai beneath his neck.

"No!" She shouted. A fear of losing her brother overtook her. Konoha might have already took Gaara away, she did not want to lose another brother as well.

"Don't move." The Uchiha replied coldly, looking straight at her with his onyx eyes, almost as if he was piercing through her body with a poisonous blade.

Temari gulped once before she spoke with a tremor in her voice. "Please, please don't kill him." But she instinctively moved back.

And once she said and did that, Uchiha Sasuke simply cut the throat of her brother and the blood began pouring out on all sides. She felt as if Kankurō's blood got into her widened from horror eyes, as everything suddenly got red and black.

The rage overtook her horror and fear, and she charged towards the Uchiha, intending on killing him with her battle fan. Orders to spare and capture him were on the end of her head now. All she cared about was revenge.

But once she took a step forward, darkness started taking over the edges of her eyes, all until she could see nothing or feel nothing...

* * *

"Uchiha, what the fuck do you think you're doing to them!?" Karui shouted from the bottom of her lungs.

Sasuke looked at her with an annoyed look, and she flinched slightly, looking away and not saying anything else. "Nothing that you should be concerned yourself with." He said to her.

The Sand siblings laid on the ground knocked out. First Kankurō and then Temari, who was busy being paralyzed in his genjutsu while he took care of her brother.

It was not a hard task to do. He only had to look at her with his fully matured Sharingan to paralyze her. And to stuck a poisonous needle into her brother while she was distracted.

_Naruto's quick victory against Gaara must have shocked them to the core. _Sasuke snorted inwardly.

"Actually we do have a right to know why are you doing this." Nii Yugito said to him with a frown on her face. She had a bit more courage. Even the other boy, Omoi, looked like he was ready for battle, if his half-drawn sword was any indication.

"It's the invasion. That's what's happening."

"The invasion?" Yugito repeated. "But..."

"You might want to talk to your Kage about that, and stay away while you're at it." Sasuke cut her off, while he at the same time began tying down his two captives. The still posture of the other Genins made him frown as well. "Unless... You're part of the invasion as well?"

He was told that the chances of it were low, but that he should be alert all the same.

"What!?" Karui shouted again, regaining her posture, pointing her hand accusingly at him. "No, we're not! We wouldn't do that. And who is invading you anyway? Can't be just Suna?"

The two ANBU's he did not know appeared in the booth. Sasuke did not answer her.

"Nice work, kid. We'll take it over from here." Sasuke nodded to one of them.

Before they left, two ANBU's looked at Kumo Genins who were still unsure what to do.

Eventually, Yugito spoke first. "Omoi, Karui. Let's go and find Mabui-sensei and meet up with Raikage-sama." They both nodded to her and then left.

The ANBU's then left as well, taking the Sand siblings with them, as Sasuke was left standing alone in the finalist booth.

He walked towards the railings and looked over the arena which was silent as the night, barring the occasional clashes of steel that eventually stopped. The white feathers have long disappeared as well. Looking over towards the walls of the village, Sasuke saw that they were still intact and that no smoke could be seen on the buildings inside.

"So they haven't breached in." He smiled at the sudden surge of pride in his village and the vigilance to keep the invaders at bay.

But as he looked at the distance, he saw his teammate, Naruto, from the corner of his eyes - jumping up the walls of the section of the arena where the noblemen were stationed, and above in booth which the Kage's sat.

Not having any other mission to do, Sasuke went to join him.

* * *

Once his genjutsu has been cast, Naruto went to join the old man as he was ordered to do.

He was given a mission to cast that genjutsu on the entire arena, yesterday. As apparently there were no signs of Orochimaru. And it was suggested he might back off from the entire invasion if he found out his right-hand was captured.

_And he apparently did found out about Kabuto's capture. _Naruto thought. _I was never told what happened to that Kabuto in the end. _

Dead most likely. If they extracted the information from him then there was no need to keep him alive any longer.

As the Temple of Nirvana was pretty unknown to the rest of the shinobi population, Naruto was chosen to perform it.

And perform it well he did.

He soon reached the roof of the highest building where he found the three Kages and their bodyguards standing.

The Hokage and the Kazekage stood opposite of each other, their robes flowing in the wind as they stared at one another. The Raikage was standing on the lower edge of the roof. His two bodyguards standing beside him. Naruto barely spared them a glance.

"Mission accomplished, Hokage-sama." Naruto said neutrally as he joined up beside him. Loud enough for others to hear. But his voice carried a certain flicker of joy.

The old man spared him a smile, along with the words of praise. "A job well done, Naruto-kun." He could hear Genma and Raidō snorting behind them.

Kazekage only stared at them with hate-filled eyes.

The Sandaime turned towards Rasa once again. "It seems that my old student really has deserted your cause once his spies were discovered."

"What!?" Rasa asked back.

The old man ignored his question, only continued talking. "I'm saying that the shinobi of the Sound village are not dying in the forests of the Land of Fire as we speak, Kazekage-dono. Once he found out his spies were discovered in Konoha, Orochimaru probably decided to fully back-off from the invasion and rearrange his plans."

"If you knew, why didn't you say anything to us!?" A foolish question came from Rasa's mouth. His eyes bulged with anger and resentment. Naruto was glad that he was not in his skin. "You always presented yourself as a paragon of virtue, as a man of peace. Why did you let it escalate it all the way here if you knew about the invasion? _Your men_ died as well!"

Naruto immediately closed his eyes as he heard those last words. He did not want to dwell on them.

"To teach you a lesson." Sarutobi immediately replied back. "And to teach everyone else a lesson not to mess Konoha in the future. Orochimaru hoped you would weaken us as much as you could, but how far was he from the truth. He never expected for you two to defeat us. Lest of all if you attacked us alone. All he wanted was to kill me in his foolish quest for jealousy-filled revenge."

Many more Konoha ninjas began appearing on the roof. Among them Kakashi-sensei and uncle Jiraiya.

The only additional support that Kazekage got was Baki, a Jōnin-sensei to his children. Naruto could see the traces of blood all over the lower part of his body.

"Baki!" Rasa all but shouted. "Where are Kankurō and Temari!?"

Baki looked at all the men that have surrounded them from all sides. "I don't know, Kazekage-sama. They may have fled. Konoha also placed four ninjas around me to capture me as soon as the battle started."

_Baki must have killed those four ninjas._

Naruto turned his head around and saw Sasuke smirking, but otherwise saying nothing. _At least he accomplished his goal._

"I'm glad to see they have failed in at least that." Rasa returned his gaze towards the Sandaime, but he also looked at Naruto.

"Your men have either died or fled back to Suna, kid." Jiraiya said, crossing his arms. "It's best if you surrender."

Rasa did not even pay attention to him.

"Surrender now and end this foolishness, Kazekage-dono." The Hokage said to him. "There is no need to spill blood any longer."

Rasa clenched his teeth and then bit his lips so hard that a trail of blood could be seen, dripping down his mouth.

"As if." He only said, his gold dust flying over his bodyguards as they disappeared in the wind.

Konoha shinobi went to follow, but the voice of their leader stopped their pursuit.

"Let him go." Sarutobi said with a stern tone, his eyes following the direction of the wind where Rasa fled. "It is a foolish notion to chase after him."

Naruto stood beside him, and watched as well, while his sensory ability was able to detect the disgraced Kazekage still being in the village. Although fleeing further and further away. Maybe they could catch up to him if they were fast enough.

"Let him go." The old man said again, although in a quiet tone, so only he could hear. "We'll deal with him some other time. The plans have changed."

_He purposely let him escape..._ Naruto understood. If that was his strategy, then so be it. He learned until now that he should not question him or his decision when it came to the protection of the village.

They had his children, so Kazekage would be less inclined to wage an all-out war against them. Even with his failed invasion, Naruto was sure that he lost only a fraction of his troops. And that he still had many more men under his command.

Dozens of Konoha ninjas were gathered around the roof. Kumogakure group looking out of place as they watched the spectacle with uncertain eyes. The Raikage, his bodyguards, Kumo Genins, and even Mabui was there. But none of them knew what the future would bring.

The Raikage only watched the old man and _him_. His eyes were narrowed down, and his nostrils fuming with rage. Or was it a normal breathing for him?

_Let him rage for whatever reason he wishes. _Naruto mused inwardly, while the Sandaime gave a victory speech to all the men around him. Who cheered in return. _Konoha won today!_

Mabui looked at only him, uncertainty in her emerald green eyes visible. Naruto only spared her a smile.

This failed invasion showed what would happen if others dared to invade them. If any of their future allies dared to betray them. The invaders were crushed, and the potential ones would be warned not to repeat their mistakes.

And now it was time to mourn for the dead.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

(1) I made that up. As it was never said what kind of seal Gaara had, I took the liberty of making that up here.

And that would be it for this chapter. Thank you for reading it. I know I have changed much of the usual pattern for Chūnin Exams, but I simply couldn't force myself to write a match after a match. I do have in plan to write spar between Yugito and Naruto, but that's it really.

Usually, many fics also stop when it comes to the Chūnin Exams as many writers lose inspiration to write that. And I just wanted to get it over with. And I know that the fight wasn't an all-out jutsu throwing. But as Gaara really had a limited arsenal of techniques, I had to make the fight as quick as possible. Not to mention that it would be lame if I nerfed Naruto in a fight against him considering how I wrote him until now.

In the next chapter, I would like to show the battle outside the village. But I will also explain Konoha's strategy in full in the "aftermath".

If you notice something that was worded in a wrong way, don't fret and message me so I could correct it.

And I also want to thank you all for following this story as I have passed 1000 followers! Thanks!

~HyperboreanRealist


	12. The Aftermath

**Chapter 12: **The Aftermath

* * *

**Outskirts of Konoha, 1st November**

"Where the hell are Otogakure's shinobi?" Satetsu, the commanding Jōnin of the invading forces, asked. He was a bald man, with a neatly trimmed beard on his strong jaw, that was the only hair on his head. The rest was clean as the summer sun in the Land of Wind.

They were standing among the greenery of the Land of Fire. The endless trees protected them from being seen too soon. But that won't be of much use if they were not joined by their collaborators in this operation.

"Our scouts haven't spotted any of them." Otokaze said to him, coming from behind. A man with wild, and spiky dark brown hair. He was the second-in-command of the Suna forces in this invasion.

Satetsu turned his head to the other side and spat on the ground, his muscular face turning into an angry snarl. "Useless idiots." He spoke lowly, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "I knew we should not have ally ourselves with them. This whole operation is a disaster."

He was against this involvement with Orochimaru, but he did not object his displeasure to the Kazekage. _It is for the greater good after all.._. Satetsu tried to convince himself.

_Kazekage's role is to lead the village. Mine is to obey my Kage._

His biggest concern was the lack of communication they had with Otogakure in the past few weeks. Only occasional message arrived, when they should strike, and the easiest and fastest route to the village from where they should attack.

_"It is too hard to cross the rival nations to deliver a message. And the messenger bird could be easily shot down." _Their Kazekage reasoned. While on a few occasions some white-haired man stood behind him. His emotionless, cold, and evil eyes were something that he would never forget. _One of Orochimaru's henchmen_.

Satetsu did not believe for a second that it was too hard for Orochimaru to deliver a message, but he mused that Kazekage was just too cautious of being discovered by any Konoha sympathizers or spies in the village. _We have never discovered a single one..._

And they were too cautious to prepare the men that would participate in the invasion. Months of planning were spent on that, and only a single minute could bring all that to ruin if they were discovered.

"What are we to do now?" Otokaze asked him, uncertainty was written all over his face.

Satetsu did not answer him immediately but only looked behind them towards their men who were kneeling among the trees, concealing their position.

Gritting his teeth in anger, Satetsu answered. "We'll proceed as we planned. Hopefully, Orochimaru's forces will join us soon..."

"And if not?" Otokaze continued in a low sound. Worry was written all over his face.

"You plan to abandon Kazekage-sama now, are you?" Satetsu questioned him, but with no ill intention. Luckily, his friend did not take the offense. "Let's just wait for ten more minutes, then we'll begin the summoning. At least Orochimaru gave us _that_." A summoning formula for one of his giant snakes...

His friend nodded, turning towards their men and motioning for a summoning team to prepare. "I hope Gaara doesn't screw this up, somehow."

"Yeah... You never know with that kid..." He said in a distant tone, turning his gaze towards the distant walls of Konoha. _They're pretty tall... But, those snakes should do their work... _They were positioned far enough from the walls, where there were no patrols. Though, hose high walls could still be seen very well by his men.

Satetsu originally thought that they would simply go behind the hills. But Kazekage said that Konoha had even stronger defenses behind. With endless traps, and even more patrols that could foil their assault. Iwa learned that lesson the hard way when they thought to attack the Leaf in the Second War.

Orochimaru was apparently, very suggestive when he said that attacking the walls directly was the best path to Konoha's destruction. _By killing everyone in our path. _Women, children, elderly. No matter the age. All had to die.

The notion itself made a disgusting feeling to appear in his mouth. But he tried to convince himself that Konoha asked for it when they took the part in crippling Suna's military budget and economy.

"The morale of the men is not particularly high..." Otokaze commented with a frown.

"Not surprising." He replied. "When eight old geezers killed nearly fifty of our men, I'd be surprised if moral was at the top."

On the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, Suna forces clashed with two Konoha teams and the long miles of their traps. Though they managed to bypass most of them, he lost at least fifty of his men in subsequent skirmishes and the traps they did not avoid.

His rage only increased when he saw it was a bunch of old bones with one leg in their graves already, that were responsible for the deaths of his men. Konoha must have placed them there because they thought that no serious invasion would pass from that direction. _How wrong they were..._ Suna did the same for patrols on their south and west. _But not in the east and the north_.

"Still..." Otokaze sounded unsure.

"Don't fret about it, my friend." Satetsu said to him, patting him on the shoulder. "Once the battle starts, no fear will be present. There won't be a place for one."

His friend smirked at him. "As you say."

Minutes quickly passed, and Satetsu gave a signal to the summoning team to begin their ritual.

As they settled into their position, Satetsu ranted once again. "That useless Orochimaru..."

"Seems we'll have to start without them."

"If only we brought more men." They were still left with at least one thousand and half men. Nearly a third of Suna's total forces. They planned to rely on Gaara and Otogakure's ninjas to finish off the Leaf for good."Hopefully, Gaara will create enough chaos for us to finish the job."

"And if not..." He had to be pessimistic at this moment.

"Then we'll have to rely on our superior fighting skills to beat the Leaf." The bald commander said with a smirk, trying to lift the mood. A few men around him snickered as he said that.

...

"A large group of the enemy shinobi is approaching from the village at a fast rate, sir!" One of the sensors shouted frantically to him.

"What!?" He and Otokaze turned heads towards Konoha, only seeing a barrage of kunai flying towards them.

Satetsu pushed his friend back while he also jumped to avoid being killed. The kunai killed three of his ninjas that stood behind them.

"Stick by your teams and get into the defensive positions!" He barely managed to give the order as a sea of green uniforms swarmed the trees above them. His men scattered to do as he ordered.

Satetsu hid behind a tree, his eyes moving wildly, looking at the enemies that are overwhelming them. His mind ran wild, trying to think of the reason why did this happened. And how did this happen.

_Has Orochimaru tricked us into invading Konoha? Is he still loyal to them? _

_Is Kazekage-sama safe?_

Satetsu felt his body frozen. He couldn't move either his legs or hands. His eyes managed to see a long, snake-like shadow, connecting his own with that of another Konoha shinobi, with shorth black ponytail, and a half-bored, half-serious look on his face.

_A Nara!? Shit! _

Then another Konoha ninja appeared in front of him. His hair was long and orange, but the tantō in his hand was pointed towards Satetsu's heart. But at the last moment, as Konoha-nin was about to kill him, Otokaze appeared, cutting the head of his attacker, and sending few exploding kunai towards the Nara-nin. Releasing Satetsu from his trap. Nara, however, evaded his attack, as two of his other men charged towards him to finish Otokaze's job.

"...Thank you..."

"What are we to do now!?" Otokaze practically shouted, ignoring his bewilderment. He may not have heard his gratitude from the sound of battle around them. The screams of the dead men. Shouts of alive men. And steel clashing with steel.

"We fight! That's what we'll do." He said with all the conviction he could muster. They had no choice. He pulled out his short battle-fan and prepared for battle. "Whether or not Oto joins us. We can't desert Kazekage-sama at this moment!"

Satetsu did not hear his friend's answer as he jumped towards the two Konoha-nins that were charging at him.

He gathered his chakra in his fingers, and the moment he got close enough to the two charging men, Satetsu delivered his attack.

_Blade of Wind!_

Once he killed them, he heard the sound of something crashing to the ground behind him. And the dusty cloud soon enveloped him in its hug. Some of his men gathered around him in the meantime.

Satetsu covered his head with his hands before the dust settled. Some of the trees were broken from their root. But in the distance, a gigantic light-blue and brown frog could be seen, with the dust still clearing away from it.

"Oh, for fuck sake..." He muttered, breathing heavily and fuming with rage. It couldn't be anyone else but the Toad Sage.

And once again, another foolish Konoha-nin charged at him. But Satetsu barely paid him attention. As he quickly grabbed him by his throat, crushing it with the strength he could muster. After which he threw his body to the other side. The blood from the man's mouth was splattered over his face.

_There is no way we can win... _He realized as he watched the carnage around him. Only sounds of steels could be heard, and occasional movements of shinobi could be seen. But the result of the ambush was visible. The men were scattered and they lost their momentum.

They planned to release Gaara's bijū in the middle of Konoha, but Konoha summon a gigantic toad in the counter-attack against them.

_If we even had the chance in the first place._

There were many more of his men lying dead than those of Konoha ninjas.

A lone tear of sweat dripped down his head, as one important thought crossed his mind

"Fuck the Kazekage-sama!" One of the men that gathered around him said in fear, before jumping off, with the intention to escape. Their already low morale crumbled at this sight of the carnage around them. The words must have escaped from that man before he even realized he said them.

_Fuck the Kazekage-sama, indeed..._

The previous loyalty he had in that moment, was swept away by the catastrophe in front of his eyes. He did not openly object when the notion to attack the Leaf was presented on the table, but he would not let his fellow Suna-nins to die mindlessly.

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, the Cemetery, 5th November**

Losing one's biological parents could be a reason for a person to crack down and go insane. Or for a person to experience a loss so great that it would change his worldview, his personality – forever.

But losing something that he never actually had, or experienced, was not a great loss to Naruto. That is where he admired Sasuke. He admired him for remaining sane and normal despite everything he passed through. Despite everything he lost.

He still stood firm, on both of his legs.

Naruto could remember crying only three times in his life. All were for a good reason and were unavoidable to his feelings and emotions.

Despite having a hard life, either back in the orphanage, or since he became a shinobi. The interlude between those two was actually the happiest time of his life. No worries from the outside, a genuine childhood life for someone like him. Even if he was forced to become an adult back in the orphanage and skip the usual childhood that the children had.

When he was three years old, he had to learn to wipe his own ass, for no caretaker in the orphanage would do that to him. He learned how to make his own bed. And even his own food. All before the age of six. He was _forced_ to grow up.

Sometimes, he did not know how he managed to do all that. Was it because of his blood, or the Seven Lucky gods who blessed him?

The answer did not matter at all, at the end of the day. For the past was past, and nothing would change it. Though, a little change, no matter how little, could have a far bigger impact than some larger things in this world.

His tears always signified a change. A change for him. A change in him.

The day he found out about who his parents actually were, and what he was – his life changed completely.

The day Tazuna and his family died – the second change.

But the day he learned about uncle Kosuke going on a suicide mission to protect the village – he wasn't sure if anything changed.

It wasn't anyone else's fault but his, though Naruto couldn't completely blame the man either. His surrogate uncle always sacrificed himself for the sake of the village. Naruto knew that his goal was to die to protect his comrades.

Uncle Kosuke volunteered to be part of the team that was to guard the border of the Land of Fire towards the west, from where the invasion from the Sand would come. It was his own decision, and no-one else's. Just as the other elderly men who died in that attack chose their end themselves. So a younger shinobi wouldn't have to be the victims of treachery.

As he was kneeling alone by Kosuke's gravestone, with the other villagers already leaving after mourning their dead, Naruto did not fight the tears from falling freely for the fourth time in his life.

No-one would see him, and he was free to do it. He was a human being like everyone else.

Knowing about the death of his parents was nothing compared to this. For he had no memories of them.

Seeing the dead body of the man who raised him being brought to Konoha changed something in Naruto. His prosthetic leg was not with him, only the sword in his hand and dozens of cuts over his chests and other parts of his body.

He experienced a feeling he never felt before. Even if he previously knew about his suicidal mission, and the result of the same. Knowing about his eventual death made it somewhat easier to say goodbye. And think. Think it would be easier when that moment would come.

Though his sadness was still there, it was slowly overtaken by the anger.

He clenched his teeth. _Damn them!_

By the hatred. He clenched them harder. Hatred towards both Sunagakure and Otogakure. Even if the latter did not take part in the invasion. Only the former did.

_They chickened out at the last moment._

A part of him wished that they attacked as well. Just so they could be crushed along with Konoha's former allies.

Even the thoughts of sneaking in into the ANBU headquarters and killing the Sand siblings crossed his mind. For blood had to be repaid.

But the memory of his surrogate uncle prevented those ideas from dwelling too long in his head. Uncle Kosuke would not want him to go on a vengeful streak.

The only thing he was left from him were the memories and tantō that he used.

Naruto stayed at the cemetery until the night fell completely. Reminiscing of the past, and thinking of the future.

_He would not want me to mourn for too long. _He smiled sadly as he traced his fingers over Kosuke's name on the tombstone.

He already cried his tears when he found out about his decision. There was no need for him to cry more.

But wishes don't always come true, and he simply stopped resisting the natural intuition.

* * *

**The Hokage's Tower, 7th November**

The great council meeting to discuss the aftermath of the failed invasion was to be today. Seven days after the invasion. When the dead were buried, and the enemy was fully routed from the Land of Fire.

Naruto learned that Konoha lost eighty-seven shinobi in the invasion. Eight border guards, uncle Kosuke among them, and four men in the arena who were meant to capture Baki, the right hand of the Kazekage. While the rest were killed outside the walls of the village. Sunagakure shinobi had put up a fierce resistance to their counter-ambush. And it cost them dearly.

Though the enemy has lost five hundred and sixty-six men. With an additional hundred and twelve being captured. The rest fled, along with their Kazekage.

_He was allowed to flee. _Naruto reminded himself. He did not know the real reason why he was allowed to do so. But, the words of the old man were firm and final. Naruto did not try to contradict them.

As the official head of the Senju clan, though only another member beside him remaining, Naruto sat on one of the futons in the large room meant for the village council meetings. He sat on the far right side of the room, in the last row by the wall, a bit away from all eyes of the other people present.

Clan heads and high-ranking Jōnin's were present, along with the dignitaries of the various military departments of the village's forces. From ANBU's and Hunter-nin Division to the Torture and Interrogation Division and Medical Corps, and many others.

Aside from them, there was a group of civilian representatives, sitting on the far left side of the room. All dressed neatly in the traditional Konoha clothes to signify their belonging to the village. The Fire Daimyō with members of his court who were at the village, were present as well. They were seated behind a large table which was used by the Hokage and the three village elders.

From one point of view, it shows that he is the lord of the Land of Fire, but Naruto doubted that he would have a final word here. And that would show who was actually the power in the village.

Naruto saw Jiraiya standing on the other side of the room and leaning against the wall. Not sitting like everyone else did. He had a half-bored, half-serious face. _This should be serious._ Naruto knew that his godfather hated these kinds of meetings. Some elements of seriousness should be a warrant for anyone who knew him, what the real situation was. And that the real war was far from over.

_He must be annoyed that the opportunity to finish off Orochimaru for good, was missed. _Naruto hasn't talked much with Jiraiya in the aftermath of the invasion. Or anyone else for that matter. Mostly secluding himself, he spent the majority of his time alone. Either at the cemetery or his home. Reading, and trying to relax his mind.

Sasuke was seated next to him, wearing his usual all-black clothes with his clan symbol on his back. Unlike him, Naruto dressed himself in a short grey male kimono, with black pants and white rope around his waist. He was grateful to Sakura for sewing his clan symbol on the back of some of his clothes when he asked her to do it.

"In addition to the regular ninjas we have captured, we also have Rasa's children in our custody." The old man said, his voice gruff and tired, while his long speech and report of everything that has transpired, stretched on. The fate of the Kazekage's children was something that everyone in the room was curious about. Including him.

_Gaara can't be imprisoned forever. _That much was clear to Naruto. But he did not know about the plans that the old man and his elders had, for the enemy jinchūriki.

Murmurs across the room spread like a forest fire. And even the question regarding Gaara's tailed beast crossed Naruto's ears. Unlike the rest of the pointless blabbering, that one did not exit on the other ear.

"Hokage-sama." A stern, deep and mature male voice was heard on the other side of the room. Naruto's eyes moved to the upper-left part of the room from where it came.

"Hiashi-san." Sarutobi replied, and the murmurs immediately stopped. Naruto noticed that the man in question was Hinata's father and the head of the Hyūga clan.

_It seems that no one dares to speak behind the Hyūga leader's back._ He mused at the general silence that was present at that moment.

"Previously we were told that the son of the Kazekage-sama is a Jinchūriki of the Ichibi, but we were not told what will happen to him once the invasion is over, and he is captured..." The low voices in the room rose once more, however, now even higher, despite the status of the man that was speaking. It was also harder to comprehend what the people were saying. Only one thing, however, passed through Naruto's ears.

_"Are we going to extract his tailed beast?"_

_Fat fucking chance. _Naruto instinctively thought, releasing a minor fume down his nostrils, his blue eyes turning to ice, but he said nothing.

In any case.

He would _not_ allow to have _another_ jinchūriki in the village. He would _not_ allow for another child to carry that burden.

"Gaara-san, along with his siblings will remain in our custody for the time being, just to keep his father in line until everything is settled. All the while we focus on dealing with Orochimaru and that front." The Sandaime said after a brief pause, his eyes closed and voice carrying no place for an argument.

"Are we not going to extract his beast from him and take it as our own?" Another man, who probably did not understand it, asked. People were still wondering. Being left in the dark was not something that many enjoyed when there was a chance to switch the light with one simple step.

Naruto remained silent as he waited for the old man to reply.

"Of course. Provided I have a volunteer among some of you, or your children to become its jinchūriki." Was the sharp reply from the Hokage.

No one suggested extracting the tailed beast again. Senju had to bite his lower lip to avoid doing something inappropriate, like laughing. _That shut them up_.

Naruto saw Danzō remaining oddly still. Not questioning the Hokage on his decision for even a second. His calm posture was almost unnerving.

_He must have told him his decisions already._

"Hokage-sama." Another man with short, light brown hair, raised his hand, somewhere in the middle of the room.

"Onikuma-san." The Hokage gave him a nod to continue.

"Hokage-sama." He formally bowed once more, before asking the question. "Will we officially declare the war against Otogakure, since no formal declaration came from their side?"

Naruto wondered the same. If it came to the actual war, no doubt that Konoha would come out on top. And that the newly formed village would be defeated.

_But..._ The road always had the opposite direction. No matter how far you could go.

If things went badly, by any chance, a larger war with the other nations could erupt. Greater villages like Iwa or Kumo, perhaps even Kiri – would not sit idly and watch as Konoha and the Land of Fire gained more land, power, and influence.

Smaller villages usually served as a buffer zone between Konoha on one side, and Kumo and Iwa to the north on the other.

But the Sound village was strategically worthless, in the larger scale of things, and would only bring more weight on Konoha's back should they destroy them, and annex the entire country.

"We shall send them a verbal note, first. To the clan heads of the clans that lived in the Land of Rice Paddies, or the Land of Sound as it is now known, demanding that they hand us Orochimaru. Since we do know he is behind the formation of their village. If they refuse, we shall have an all-out war. It is better to avoid deaths from both sides if it's possible, but if not..." He paused for a second or two. "I have fate in our shinobi to handle one late, minor village."

The Hokage did not give more reasoning, but the others seemingly understood what he meant by it. Or simply opted to stay silent. _It was not the time to talk about it. _

It was a bit strange to him that no one asked about the prisoners of war and their fate. But looking around at the faces of the people present, Naruto understood why. Many men and women here survived the Third Great Ninja War, and they most likely knew what would happen to them. They would either be executed or ransomed if something could be gained from the latter.

Naruto was not sure how he should feel about that either. The current captives would have killed every man, woman, and child of his village without reservations if they had the chance to do so, a week ago. Somehow, knowing that, made it all easier for him to accept it.

_What would uncle Kosuke think about that? _He knew the man very well. He opposed his decision to kidnap the Amegakure's Genins in the second round. But this was the result of the war. His opinion could go either way.

"Before we continue any further, I believe we have some promotions to take care of, first." The old man said smiling genuinely as he looked towards his and Sasuke's direction. "Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun. Approach."

A promotion was the last thing on Naruto's mind. The loss, despair because of it, paranoia... All three took a heavy toll on him. Thoughts of protecting the village came first into his mind that he did not even think about a new rank and its benefit. The death of uncle Kosuke was a final blow. All of that made him forgot about the good things in life. About his dreams. And about his future.

Sasuke was the first to stand up. Not even looking back to see if Naruto was following him. The eyes of the other people in the room followed each of their steps over the wooden floor. A goodish smile from the Feudal Lord, contrary to the cold and calculative gazes of the other shinobi present. Both the clan heads and regular ninjas eyed them. But Naruto's thoughts did not dwell on them.

As he approached the table, standing firm in front of the Hokage, Naruto spared a smile as he was handed the plastic bag with the Chūnin vest in it. Smiling genuinely for the first time since the applause he got from the audience in the finals.

On the vest itself was a sheet of paper filled with a long wall of text that he did not bother reading at the moment. _An instruction and introduction to our new duties most likely_.

"After reviewing your record from the past months and suggestion of your Jōnin-sensei, Hatake Kakashi. But also for your deeds in the exams and the subsequent invasion. The council of elders has decided to promote you to the rank of Chūnin." The Hokage said to them. Sasuke took the bag into his hands and inspected it, thoroughly.

He did not seem too enthusiastic on the outside. But looking more closely, he could see an unfamiliar spark in the Uchiha's onyx eyes. Somehow, he was glad that his teammate found some semblance of happiness in his life. Even if he did not get the chance to shine much in the past months, Naruto knew that Sasuke deserved his promotion.

_Capturing the Sand siblings with ease should be enough to earn him a promotion_.

Naruto took that chance to see the reaction of the other three elders. But Koharu and Homura were as they were. Calculative, while Danzō did not bother looking at them. His one eye closed, and his head turned to the rest of the people in the room.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Both of them said in unison.

The old man nodded and bid them to go back to their seats which they did. As they settled back, the Sandaime began speaking once again, listing a short list of names of the various Chūnin's that would receive a promotion as well, due to their actions in the invasion and the career. Listing all of their accomplishments.

"So this means our time as a team is over?" Sasuke asked in a whisper, not even looking up from his vest.

"It doesn't need to." Naruto replied, equally in a low sound. "We will probably have many more joint missions. We did work well together, after all."

A faint smile appeared on Sasuke, before it turned to normal. "Speaking of Team Seven..." A ten or so seconds passed before the Uchiha spoke again. Naruto raised his eyebrow at his silence. "How are you dealing... with your caretaker's death?"

No matter when he showed it, but Naruto would always feel surprised by Sasuke's curiosity. "I don't know how I would describe it." He did not. He felt as if thousands of conflicting emotions boiled up in his body when he thought about it. And everything felt heavy because of it.

"A word of advice, Naruto." Sasuke said, while still looking towards the Sandaime and his elders. "You already knew he was going to die on that mission... It is much easier to come to terms, that way... I did not know him as well as you did, but I do think he would not want you to mourn for too long."

_He lost much more than me, perhaps I should heed his advice._

"Thank you." He said to Sasuke, probably for the first time in his life. _A Senju thanking the Uchiha. Where is this world going? _He did not stop a smile from appearing on his face as he thought about it.

Naruto took the time to look at his new vest, even if he would not wear it that often during his missions. Members of the clans had the right and liberty to wear the uniforms and gear that were approved by the high-ranking members of the Jōnin council. His ancestor wore an armor, even when he was not a Hokage. There was no reason why he couldn't, and shouldn't do the same.

"Before we end this meeting, there is one final, and important matter to discuss. " The Sandaime said after he finished the listing of the other promoted ninjas. Naruto could see his head moving in the direction where Hiashi and a few other members of the Hyūga clan sat.

_That clan does have many high ranking shinobi. So much so that five of them are in this meeting._

"An hour before this meeting, the Yondaime Raikage has presented us with an offer... of a defensive alliance." Naruto could almost feel the tension that was rising in the room once those words were spoken. It was not a secret that many in Konoha disliked Kumogakure. Some with the burning passion. "That is, in case of the war we should come to each other's aid." But none dared to interrupt him. _Yet_.

"I have already decided to accept his offer. Our ambassador to their village will be decided in the following weeks." He finished, now looking across the room and gouging the reaction from the rest. Most importantly. The reaction of the Hyūga clan.

Even in his old age, the old man still commanded respect. So much, that no-one dared to start an all-out uproar. _Not yet at least..._

He exchanged eye contact with Sasuke, who, despite everything, understood that this was an unorthodox approach.

Naruto leaned his head a bit forward while resting his hands on his legs, just to see the reaction from the Hyūga group. But all he saw was the bitter frown on their faces and a sharp line of the eyebrow from Hiashi's side.

_They're not happy with this..._

And he wasn't sure if he should be happy about it either. He had his reasons to dislike Kumogakure. Mostly for the part they had in Uzushio's destruction. However, that was not the reason why Naruto was against this new 'alliance'.

Suna, another great village, proved itself treasonous. And Konoha had a much smaller enmity with them in the past, than they did with Kumo.

Who is to say that Kumogakure wouldn't try to do the same, even if they were a witness of the failed invasion?

Who is to say that they won't try to have another episode of the Hyūga affair?

All of that was the least of his concerns.

Naruto wanted to travel the world a bit more, and the offer Jiraiya presented him was an excellent opportunity to do so.

Because of the invasion, and the fact that Orochimaru still walked freely in this world – his plans would have to be put on hold. As well as the trip he planned to the _supposed_ colonies of the Uzumaki clan.

Senju looked at Jiraiya, who was silent as the night. His narrowed eyes were moving from both the Hokage and the members of the Hyūga clan, back and forth.

Naruto was not the only one who shared the sentiment of the Hyūga's, as one another voice rose in a few rows in front of him, in form of a shout.

"You cannot be serious about forming the alliance with them Hokage-sama! Surely, you haven't forgot about the destruction of the Uzushio or the death of Hyūga Hizashi!?" Someone voiced his concerns. In any other village, such an outburst would get the man killed. But the old man was generally forgiving. And that was his greatest weapon.

_I should not meddle here... _Not that there was a chance for him, or anyone else, to influence this decision. If Hokage wanted it, the rest could only accept.

A few more shouts of support came for the man, while the Sandaime remained calm. Almost as if he was letting them vent out their anger. But, his wrinkled old face would not budge. Naruto could see that. His mouth were fused together, and his eyes were closed, while he nodded occasionally as if he was confirming all their arguments.

_He did not forget... And yet, he still accepted this alliance..._ It was all too strange.

In the end, what better way was there to monitor someone than to have a constant, yet safe, presence among him. A shame they did not have an ambassador with Sunagakure. Perhaps all the troubles could have been avoided before it escalated to the boiling point.

_And uncle Kosuke may have lived in that case_. Naruto bit his lower lip, as he bitterly thought about his death. _This is not a place to cry_. Or to think about it. Sasuke was right. He said his goodbye to the man. There was no need to dwell in despair any longer.

The tears can't bring back the dead. And the past cannot be rewritten.

* * *

**Three hours later, The ANBU headquarters**

Hiruzen walked down the stairs of the ANBU headquarters, inhaling smoke from his pipe along the way. Alone, aside from Danzō who walked not far behind him. He left his bodyguards behind at the entrance to the prison section of the underground base.

Lights on the wall-bulbs flickered as he walked. But, that was their entire point. A moment of life, and a moment of death for the prisoners who walked through this hallway. And any other hallway of their prisons. Being in such a place was meant to create an atmosphere that their fate could go either way. Albeit, there was only one prisoner in this case. The rest were in a separate building. _Awaiting their fate._

Each of their steps echoed through the empty hallway. The other cells were empty as well. _Cleared_, just because of the one prisoner. _Gaara of the Sand_. And they filled the space with nothing but silence. Not even a rat or a mouse could enter this part of the complex without permission. Only occasional delivery of the fresh air could. Aside from the selected group of people.

After finishing the tedious council meeting he had with the representatives of the military, Sarutobi decided to give the final _blow_ to Rasa for his betrayal. He just hoped it would go as he planned. And that the peace and balance would one day be restored.

"'_I suggest you to clear your court, Daimyō-dono. For it seems, that the leeches can thrive in the sand as well._'" Danzō repeated his words. Almost in a sarcastic tone, and Hiruzen momentarily stopped walking. Turning around, he faced his old rival with an unamused face.

"That was your greatest impression of the past few days? I must say; I'm disappointed." Sarutobi said to him in a half-sarcastic voice. "Not the two-hour argument I had with the Hyūga clan and their supporters?"

"Why should it be?" Danzō said to him, his chin rising slightly. His attempt to look at him from above. "The moment you told me before the council meeting began, of your decisions - I knew there was no place for an argument. Once you get something in your head, only death can get it out."

Danzō paused as the two of them stared at each other.

"But whose death will it be, Hiruzen? Death of a few more academy students? Or of the village itself?"

_So he goes for the way I initially handled Naruto-kun before that incident at the playground... _He hasn't spoken with the boy since the funeral for the dead shinobi, with Kosuke being among them. Thinking of his dead friend brought a feeling of sadness to Hiruzen's being. But he would not falter before Danzō.

"And why is my advice for the Wind Daimyō so memorable to you?" Hiruzen forced a smile on his face, ignoring Danzō's disagreement, and his arguments. Truly, he never felt better than when he argued with him. The man has been an annoying thorn in his side ever since he took the mantle of a Hokage, but also his most valuable ally. Despite the differences between them.

"It left an impression on me, that you are so foolish to think, that the Wind Daimyō will understand what you meant by it. Especially when you are quoting some literature. And that surprised me even more. I never took you for a reading type."

"Hmm." Hiruzen hummed. It was a possibility that the Feudal Lord of the Land of Wind might not understand what he meant by it, but his fat younger brother and heir certainly did. Hiruzen deduced that from their meeting after the invasion. And if not, the Sandaime could _make sure_ he understands his message, _thoroughly_.

"I read plenty of fascinating books in my spare time, Danzō. It wouldn't hurt you to try it sometimes." Sarutobi said.

"I do not count Jiraiya's porn books as a fascinating piece of literature." Danzō said, his lips morphing into a thin smile. Not in a good-hearted one.

"A book is a book." Hiruzen replied in a flat tone. "And they are a beautiful piece of literature, if I can say so myself."

"Prostitutes say something similar about their profession, as well."

"I never took you for a brothel-visiting type, to know that. And for the record, that message comes directly from one of Jiraiya's books." There was a silence after that sentence, as Danzō did not insult back. Hiruzen, who was smoking from his pipe, exhaled smoke from his mouth, sending it directly into Danzō's face, but a simple flow of wind around his head, dispersed the smoke into nothingness. "I see your mastery of that element has not wavered at all, all these years."

"There was no reason for me to get rusty." He still looked at him with a half-smiling, half-disdainful eye. "The point of the message." Danzō simply said again.

_A message..._

A message that he should clear his court of the worthless courtiers who did nothing but sour the relationship between Suna and their government. A deed of Orochimaru, and his bribes to the corrupt people surrounding the Wind Daimyō. His rouge student planted seeds of destroying the Leaf even before the truth of his experiments was officially revealed. _How blind I was..._

Hiruzen sighed, before speaking in an emotionless tone, his thoughts returning to the matter at hand – the message. "We need to have the Land of Wind and Sunagakure on our side again. One day, that is. Letting the Wind Daimyō know that there is something wrong with his court is just a first step of that."

If the Fire Daimyō decided to cut Konoha's budget, Hiruzen would not hesitate to act in an instant. He would either be replaced with his supporter, talked out of that foolishness. Or simply forced to go back to the previous state. Hiruzen was lucky that their Feudal Lord never embarked on a foolishness as his counterpart of the Land of Wind did. Having a constant guard of Konoha shinobi that guarded the Daimyō, must have had an impact on anyone who tried to influence the man against his village.

"That still leaves Rasa alive." Danzō continued in his harsh tone. "He will be an obstacle to your goal in that case. So it makes me wonder why you let him flee so easily? Were you afraid of losing against a younger Kage?" He asked with a sly smile. His only eye reeked of maliciousness.

"Do you really think I will let him live the rest of his days in peace? Releasing his children in a few months, and forgetting everything that has happened between us?"

Danzō was silent for a moment, as he looked at him with his lone, calculative eye. "You are not the type of person that would execute the children, no matter who they may be. I don't see how else can you get rid of him, and keep Suna as a balancing force in the Elemental Nations, as you so desperately wish to do."

Sarutobi released a quiet croaky laugh. "Who said that _I_ will be the one to get rid of him, Danzō?" He did not speak more, as he turned around and continued walking towards the designated prison cell.

Danzō did not move to follow right away, however, a low chuckle escaped his mouth, and his comment reached Hiruzen's ears, just as the explosions during the war would. Or the anguished cries of the dead and wounded on the battlefield. "Is that so."

Sarutobi felt no need to reply.

"Whatever I may be, Hiruzen... At least I'm not a hypocrite." Danzō finished.

_So, that's how it is. _Sarutobi thought to himself. A small smile almost appeared on his lips. Almost.

The head of the Sarutobi clan stopped walking for a moment. "You would be." He grabbed his Hokage hat and firmly rearranged it on his head. "If you wore this hat instead of me." He said nothing else as he continued walking further. Danzō did not press it any further.

_At least he's not against the future elimination of Rasa..._ He thought as he walked further. He had someone in mind to get rid of the alliance-breaker. But it was not the time. And it won't be for a long time.

The greatest concern for Hiruzen regarding his elimination was that Suna should have a successor that would be _loyal_ to Konoha.

However. The successor to the position of the Kazekage had to be from one of the members of his clan.

_That is where Gaara comes to the picture._

Gaara's prison cell wasn't that far down the hallway. Once he took another tour to the left, Hiruzen saw two ANBU guards standing in front of the door where Gaara was located. There were six more in the next room, resting, and waiting for their shifts to start. Or to act in case something goes wrong.

"Hokage-sama." Two ANBU men said as one voice. _Bird and Snake_.

Hiruzen nodded to them, moving directly to the question at hand. "Has the food been prepared for the prisoner?"

Bird nodded, walking to the side by the wall, where a little locker was hanging on the side, pulling a plate with a modest amount of food on it.

"Thank you." Hiruzen only said, taking the plate, and proceeding to walk through the door which the other ANBU, Snake, opened for him. Danzō slowly followed.

The doors closed once the two of them entered. And a single light from the only bulb in the room created a circle in the center where Gaara sat. Better said, a chair on which he was tied. A few seals could be seen on his hands and body, just to be sure. While a series of bandages covered his right shoulder and the wound that Naruto-kun gave him. There was another chair in front of the boy, placed there for any warden that would come to feed him, until now.

Gaara lifted his head and looked at him with an empty look in his eyes, before they scrunched a bit, looking at him with disdain. "Have you finally come to end me? I must say I'm honored that the Hokage himself has come to do the deed." His voice was empty and hoarse. The boy couldn't complain say that he was abused, while in Konoha custody. Certain repercussions had to be made, however.

The sheer emptiness and apathy on the other hand amazed Hiruzen, no matter how vile the notion itself seemed to him. _You messed up this one to no end, Rasa..._

"Fear not, my boy." Sarutobi said to him, in a voice he uses when talking to either Naruto, or his grandson, Konohamaru. "No harm shall come to you."

His eyes were filled with suspicion, and his feelings were no different. "Then I see no reason why you're here. Leave. I'm sure you have a village to run." The boy ordered him, and Hiruzen had to snort.

"I'm afraid I can't do so." Hiruzen said, proceeding to sit on the chair in front of the boy.

Gaara released a tiered and hard sigh. His breathing was slow but heavy. "Then speak, so we could end this already."

"We can't remove your bindings yet, for obvious reason..." Hiruzen began but did not finish his thought, as Gaara spoke once more.

"I think that this humiliation is actually the greatest thing that has happened to me in my life..." His voice really was tired. As if each word he spoke could take away any energy he had.

_That can happen when you can barely feel your chakra flowing through your body. _Hiruzen thought as he watched the auburn-haired boy in front of him. _And when you can't feel the presence of your tailed beast. Even if he's still there._ Suppressed.

"I can't hear the voice in my head..." He slowly said. "And I got to sleep for the first time since I can remember..."

"Yes. I was told that you slept for four days without waking up". Hiruzen commented as he looked at him. "Open your mouth, child. You need to eat." He took a rice with the chopsticks and moved it towards Gaara's mouth. Just like he did to his own children when they were young.

The jinchūriki of the One-Tail obliged, and the next few minutes were spent in silence as the Sandaime Hokage fed him. The food was not the primary means of digestion, however.

"Tell me about yourself a bit while I'm here." Hiruzen began. "Tell me, who is Gaara of the Sand, in reality?"

"May I know the purpose of all this, as I'm pretty sure that Kage has more important businesses to take care of..." He said something else, again. "And that your village is rather developed when it comes to extracting information from their captives.

"Perhaps I am doing it right now." Hiruzen said with a laugh. "And I won't have anyone invade your privacy if that is a concern of yours. You have my word."

"Heh." Gaara exclaimed, while his gaze fell to the ground, changing the view between a single spot on the plate, and Hiruzen's eyes. Sarutobi did not push him to speak any further.

He took that moment to turn back and look at Danzō, who was holding onto his cane while standing back in the darkness as he always preferred. The black pupil of his narrowed eye did not waver from Hiruzen for even a moment. But, that was something that Sarutobi wanted.

_I may really be a hypocrite, Danzō, but be happy that I am one for the sake of the village._

He was sure that his rival understood what he was doing here. And why he brought him with here with him.

Konoha had to be stable on both the inside and the outside. Just as their allies had to be if they were to be useful.

_Rasa is the enemy._ Sarutobi could see in the boy's eyes that he would open up eventually. Only if someone would listen to him.

_But his son can be our greatest ally if we play this right..._

* * *

Mabui sat on the chair by the window of the room in the hotel, reading a book about the flowery of the Land of Fire that she bought in one of the stores, a few weeks back. While she trained Yugito, Omoi, and Karui for the finals, in her spare time, she decided to expand her knowledge on her favorite subject – the flowers. And the Land of Fire was much richer in that knowledge than her own homeland.

However, the finals were nothing but a farce for the other two great villages to take care of each other, in their own respective way.

Mabui sighed as she closed her book. She did not know what to think of it. Betrayal and dishonor was something she loathed. Even in her profession, there had to be some _boundary_ between what was right and what was wrong. But Suna ignored all of that. _T__hey rightly suffered because of it_.

She was happy that Naruto beat Gaara without much problems, and hoped that her help has been of use to him. Raikage-sama might have given her a mission of getting close to the boy, and learning as much as she could about him.

But the information she gave him about Gaara was by her own volition. At least that way she repaid the debt she owed to his father.

She sighed once more, moving her hand to her forehead and slowly rubbing it. Hoping to ease the headache that appeared due to unknown reasons. Anxiety was there because of the worry that her village will be involved somehow in this entire mess. Or create a future mess from the ashes of the current one. Her uncle certainly knew to stick his nose where it did not belong... And the village elders rarely contradicted him in those endeavors.

The day was pretty pleasant, for early November. Unlike in Konoha, the early snows must have already appeared in her village. Samui told her that there was a chance for her village to be already covered in snow by the time they get back.

It was while she was thinking of home, that her best friend, Samui, decided to enter the room, the two of them have been sharing together.

"Samui-chan." Mabui barely said, closing her book down, as her friend got to the point right away.

"The meeting with the Sandaime Hokage is over." Her blonde friend went straight to the bathroom after going straight to the point, first, returning back to the room after a minute or so – proceeding to sit down on her bed.

Mabui said nothing else. _She's not happy. _She could see that much from the aura Samui carried around herself. It was not a secret in her village that her best friend hated Konoha with passion.

From one point of view, she was right to do so. _Her father was killed by the __Hyūga __clan when he tried to kidnap their heiress..._ But from the moral perspective, Mabui thought of it as a petty grudge, because she knew very well that her father was not innocent when he died. She never said that to her friend, though. But she was sure that Samui knew that very well. Even if she chose to ignore it.

"What was the talk about, anyway?" Mabui asked, placing the book on the nearby table, and moving to sit on the bed opposite of Samui's. She was not told that there would be a meeting with the Hokage.

Samui stared at the ceiling of their room with her emotionless look, before rising up in a sitting position. Massaging her shoulders, she answered. "Raikage-sama made an alliance offer to the Konoha."

Mabui blinked a few times. Just to make sure she heard it right. She had not expected that. And knew not why her village was abandoning their _proud_ isolationism that they enjoyed since the Third War. "And what did Hokage-sama say to that?"

The aged Hokage must have refused them outright.

Mabui could see traces of bitterness in Samui's blue eyes as she spoke the following. "He accepted."

_Or not. _"Just like that?" Mabui asked back, crossing her hands, and her legs. Granted, she did not even know that her village wanted an alliance with Konoha. She mused that the improved relations were enough.

Samui sighed. "He did say he will have to calm any men that are against it... The Hyūga clan most likely..." She muttered. "But he said that the alliance will be formalized, eventually. Though, I think that Raikage-sama will have to make an apology to the Hyūga clan at the end of the day."

_Somehow, I find it hard to believe that A-sama would apologize to anyone. _The man's pride was bigger than his muscles. Samui must have hated the notion of apologizing to them, as well.

"And both of them agreed that the one ambassador will be chosen for each village." Samui said to her.

As she looked into Samui's eyes, something strange started gathering in her body. An unfamiliar sense of fear. Only one more look into Samui's compassionate blue was enough to understand from where that fear came from.

"And I will be that ambassador..." She said, almost in a whisper.

"I'm sorry, Mabui." Her friend said, moving to sit beside her. Her eyes were filled with pity.

"Did you know about it?" Mabui furrowed her eyebrows together. "Before you came to Konoha, I mean."

Placing her hand on her shoulder, as a sign of support, Samui spoke. "I did. Raikage-sama told me and Darui his plans before we left Kumogakure. He wanted for you to stay in Konoha no matter what..."

_No..._

"And the village elders were very supportive when it came to this decision." Samui continued.

_And Raikage-sama did not complain. I know he's in support of this as well! _It almost looked as if Samui was making an excuse for their Kage. _He is not innocent in this!_

Mabui was silent as she digested these news. Being away from her village was not the most terrible position for a person to be in, but. There was always the 'but'.

She knew very well what the true purpose of her presence in the Leaf would be. What it would develop into.

And she hated it so much that she barely managed to stop herself from screaming.

The silent tears, however, were not stopped. They freely fell down her cheeks to her skirt, getting it soaked. Samui came closer to her, enveloping her into a hug. "You do know what this means, Mabui?"

Mabui gave her a quiet nod. Her tears were getting Samui's clothes wet as well. "I had my suspicions why my uncle sent me here in the first place..." She confessed, remembering his order for her to get familiar with Senju Naruto. "But now I am certain why he did it."

"I hoped that the Raikage-sama would not go with it, in the end..." Samui said slowly. "But I guess that he is too adamant in getting what he wants."

Mabui released a small chuckle, still enveloped in Samui's hug. "That does sound like him." She said with a bitter smile.

"The sooner you are done, the sooner you'll be back home. Remember that." Samui told her, lifting her chin and giving her a kind smile. It was not a common sight for one to see. But Mabui was happy for it nonetheless, even if the realization that came to her slowly crushed every single happy thought that was running in her head, at that moment.

She would break her moral code, and walk over her own beliefs. No matter how much she wanted to stick by them.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_"Itachi was grateful to the Hokage's powers of insight, as sharp as the Sharingan. On the other hand, he also hated them. If Hiruzen was so gifted at reading the minds of others, then why couldn't he have managed to find a way to cooperate with the Uchiha clan? Itachi did have the urge to press the older man about the issue, but he knew it would do no good thinking about that now." _\- Uchiha Itachi.

A little line from the Itachi novel that I really liked when I was reading it. It shaped my view of Hiruzen as a Hokage, in combination with his portrayal in Part 1 of Naruto. I would call him, a true humble manipulator.

And speaking of the novel, I would just like to add another one to a guest review – Rudra, that was very rude by cursing me because of the decisions I made regarding the Uchiha's and Kushina.

_"The target's father and mother, and then his wife. When the boy, old enough to have just started at the academy, stopped moving, he heard a shriek behind him. The voice was familiar." _\- Itachi during the Uchiha massacre. Also the quote from the novel.

And I will also say that Kushina was never said to be a "princess of the Uzumaki" or whatever. Only that she was born with special chakra. So, why in the world would a village give their princess to another country to be a vessel for a tailed beast. - That's my answer to another one of his reviews, complaining about how I wrote that Kushina was from a branch family.

Now, onto the actual notes.

I initially intended to have Samui have a bigger role in the Konoha-Kumogakure relationship, and I wrote her as daughter of the Head Ninja of Kumogakure. But somewhere along the line, Mabui came to my mind, and she is much easier to write. Samui may, or may not have a more prominent role later on. I won't promise anything. As I said, this is not a romance.

Next. Regarding Kosuke's 'sudden' death, I did write three foreshadowing lines in the last two chapters about his death. Just as I wrote something regarding Mabui, although, more subtle. Maybe. This chapter reveals too much already. At first, I did wrote his death scene and the fight at the border, along with the flashback with Naruto, But I decided to move it to some other chapter and to have it in a similar way like I did with that flashback of Tobirama in chapter #8. And I felt the need to have someone important to Naruto, to die in the invasion. So there it is.

And that would be it. Thank you all for reading it. Hope you have a nice day!

~HyperboreanRealist


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